


The Road to Hell

by bansheequeen (queenbanshee), xtremeroswellian



Category: Smallville
Genre: Accidental Death, And becomes nicer, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempted Murder, Bestest Cousins, Big Dumb Alien, Bombs, Broken Bones, Casual unsafe sex, Clark Kent is a jerk, Clark pines after Lana for awhile, Depression, Downward Spiral, Drinking, Explosions, F/M, Fight Club - Freeform, Flirting, Friendship, Gambling, Guilt, Hurt Oliver Queen, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, PTSD, Racing, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Suicidal Ideation, Teasing, The Sullivan-Lane clan can't cook, Then he moves on, Trust, Worried Chloe Sullivan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:53:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 44,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24189967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenbanshee/pseuds/bansheequeen, https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtremeroswellian/pseuds/xtremeroswellian
Summary: When Oliver returns to Metropolis out of the blue and begins engaging in a lot of dangerous activities, Chloe makes it her priority to figure out what's going on and how to save his life.
Relationships: Clark Kent/Lois Lane, Lois Lane & Chloe Sullivan, Oliver Queen & Lois Lane, Oliver Queen/Chloe Sullivan
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

Chloe sighed deeply and sat down on the tall chair as she browsed the local newspapers for the cities when her fellow teammates were. She didn’t exactly get updates on what they had been up to, but she wanted to make sure they were okay and also, she wanted to make sure they weren’t missing anything.

As she read the news for Star City, a particular case caught her eye so she made a mental note to ask Oliver about it later.

Just as she was finishing up her round of Star City news, a piece about Oliver Queen himself caught her eye and she cocked her head, arching her eyebrows. Apparently, he was going to be pretty easy to contact, considering that, according to the article, he had just arrived in Metropolis this morning for a ‘business trip’.

A second later, a gust of wind hit, scattering her papers and files everywhere. Clark gave her a sheepish look even as he stooped down to pick things up. “Sorry.”

Her eyes widened and she quickly minimized the window, turning around to look at him with shock, not by the sudden entrance but because she hoped he hadn’t seen what she had been reading, he didn’t exactly know she was still helping the others, “Clark,” she gasped, “what are you _doing_?” She did her best to pretend she was mad and not surprised and could only hope he’d buy it.

Blinking, he raised to full height, holding the pile of things out to her, his sheepish smile fading and being replaced by uncertainty. “Sorry.” 

“Thanks,” she said with a deep breath as she took the paper from him.

He nodded a little, pursing his lips and glancing around. “It’s quiet today.” 

“Quiet where?” She asked, shaking her head as she placed the papers back on the desk.

“Here.” He shrugged a little, moving to sit down in one of the chairs.

“Oh,” she shrugged too, “I was just reading the news. Nothing important.”

He nodded, leaning back in the seat and falling silent.

She kept her eyes on him for a moment then sat down too, “what is going on?”

“Nothing,” he told her, shrugging again. “I thought we could hang out.”

She nodded slightly, arching her eyebrows, “okay, what do you wanna do?”

“I don’t know,” Clark admitted. “What should we do?” 

“I-- guess we could have lunch? Did you eat yet?” She asked, it wasn’t like they ever hung out.

He shook his head. “Lunch works.” 

“Okay... burgers?” She suggested.

“Sure,” he said listlessly.

She sighed softly and sat up, “Clark, you can’t just stay like this.”

“Stay like what?” His eyebrows furrowed a little.

“Moping.” She arched her eyebrows, “because of Lana.”

“I’m not moping,” he told her, folding his arms across his chest.

“You are,” she told him knowingly, “and I know you’re upset about Lana still, but it’s been weeks, Clark.”

“She’s the love of my life, Chloe.” His voice was flat. 

“How can you be so sure?” She asked.

“Because I _know_ ,” he said defensively. “But I wouldn’t expect you to understand.” 

Chloe stilled at that and stared at him, “and why is _that_?”

“Have you ever _been_ in love?” He shook his head, standing up slowly. 

“Yes,” she answered, staring at him then shook her head, “it’s not all it takes, Clark. You and Lana have been hurting each other for how many years now? If it was supposed to work, it would have already. You two are not good for each other.” She said bluntly.

He narrowed his eyes at her words, his jaw tightening. “In your _opinion_.” 

“If you’d like to think so.” She shrugged, “but there has to be a reason why you’re not together, don’t you think?”

“Let’s do lunch some other time. I’m not really hungry,” he said, not looking at her before speeding away.

Chloe rolled her eyes as the pile of papers flew down again and went to collect it, shaking her head. Maybe sometime he’d actually try to move on.

* * * 

Since she didn’t have lunch with Clark, Chloe finished up her reading, grabbed some coffee and made her way downtown and into the Queen Industries’ building. She had tried calling Oliver but when he didn’t pick up, she figured she’d just walk over there.

She’d made her way into the building with the badge he had given her a while back, in case she needed anything from there, and made her way up to the top floor. She found it weird when his secretary wasn’t there, but since his office door was closed, she knocked and waited for a moment.

Chloe could definitely hear movement inside, so she knocked again and opened the door, stepping into the room, “Oliv--” she started, then stilled, eyes widening.

He lay on the couch, a bleach-blond woman on top of him, moving quickly, his hands gripping her hips. He heard the door open and his eyes widened a little. “Do you _mind_?” 

“Sorry,” she breathed, staring at the two naked people on the couch for a second then walking back out of the office and closing the door quickly.

A few moments later, the blond he’d been with stepped out of his office, zipping up her shirt and casting Chloe a sidelong glance. “Next?” She smirked and headed out into the hallway.

She just blinked, staring at the other blond as she left and shifting, glancing at Oliver’s office and wondering if she should just do the same. But she felt like she should at least apologize.

Oliver stepped out a moment later, buttoning his shirt and watching the first blond head away, a smirk on his face. Then he turned to look at Chloe silently.

Chloe shifted awkwardly and shook her head a little, “I’ll leave you alone, I just wanted to apologize.”

He shrugged. “I didn’t realize it was you. Sorry I snapped.” 

“It’s fine,” she shrugged too, “I-- wanted to talk to you, but it can wait.”

“What’s wrong with now? I’m not busy anymore.” He smirked a little and headed back into his office.

“No,” her eyes narrowed a little as she watched him, “but you’re drunk.”

“Hah. Am not.” He raised his eyebrows and poured himself another glass of whiskey. 

“Okay,” she shook her head, stepping inside, “why don’t I give you a ride back to the Clocktower?”

“Why? What’s there?” 

“Your privacy for starters,” she told him, doing her best to keep her voice low, “anyone could have walked in here, Oliver.”

“You worry too much.” He winked at her and took a long drink before setting the glass down once more. “Want a drink?” 

“I’ll pass,” she frowned, “and you don’t usually worry so little, what is going on?”

“Just trying to lighten up a little,” he said, shrugging.

“Okay,” she told him, “and you can do that at the Clocktower.”

Oliver sighed, giving her a look and then shrugging. “Fine. Why the hell not?” 

She relaxed a little and nodded, “did you drive?”

“Yep.” He picked up his car keys, dangling them off his index finger.

Chloe arched her eyebrows and held her hand out for them, grabbing them before he had a chance to say anything, “let’s go.”

He cocked his head to the side. “Lead the way, Blondie.” 

She gave him a look but didn’t say anything, she didn’t want him to change his mind about leaving and she definitely couldn’t leave him there.

* * * 

The ride to the clock tower had been silent for the most part, and now that they were there, Oliver had thrown up the doors to the balcony, letting the cool air waft into the stuffy suite. He rubbed his hands over his red-rimmed eyes and yawned before turning to look at her, finding that she was staring at him intently. “What?” 

“What’s going on?” She asked again, searching his eyes as she waited for an answer a few feet behind him.

“I don’t know what you mean.” 

“I’ve never seen you like this before,” she explained, shaking her head.’

He raised his eyebrows a little. “You haven’t been around me much.” 

“No,” she shrugged slightly, “but something tells me this isn’t your normal self.”

“What makes you say that?” He cocked his head to look at her.

“You don’t seem as in control as you usually are,” she said sincerely.

“What fun is being in control anyway?” He questioned, shaking his head a little. “Gotta cut loose sometimes.” 

“Sure,” she frowned, “but why now?”

“Why _not_ now?” Oliver smirked a little. “No time like the present.” 

“What are you in Metropolis for?” She asked.

“I got bored with Star City.” His jaw tensed just slightly, barely noticeable. 

“Bored?” She echoed, noticing the change even though it was small, and took a step toward him.

“Same people, same places all the time.” His tone was dismissive, but he narrowed his eyes ever-so-slightly as she got closer to him. “What are you doing?” 

“What do you mean?” She asked, arching her eyebrows.

He pursed his lips, not answering.

“I’m just trying to talk to you, Oliver.” She told him, pursing her lips together. 

Somewhere at the edge of his consciousness, guilt tugged at him. Guilt he didn’t want to acknowledge, but he forced himself to take a deep breath. _Chloe_ hadn’t caused his problems and she didn’t deserve to be treated like crap. “Right. Okay.” 

She arched her eyebrows in surprise and nodded a little, “maybe you should have some water.”

Amusement tugged at his mouth. “I’m really not that trashed,” he told her, shrugging but heading toward the kitchen to get a drink. 

“You look like it,” she frowned more, following him. 

Oliver pulled down two glasses from the cabinet above the sink and filled each with ice and then water from the tap before handing one to her and raising his eyebrows. “I can handle my liquor.” 

“Thank you,” she said, taking the glass from him and pausing, “do I even wanna bother asking if you know her name?”

He arched an eyebrow at that, taking a drink of his water. “It was a one time thing.” 

Chloe nodded slightly then sipped on her water, “I know you and I don’t know each other that well but, as a former journalist, I really think you should be more careful.”

“I used protection,” he said, setting his glass down.

She stilled and arched her eyebrows, “that is not what I meant,” she told him, surprised. “but I guess that’s good...”

He stilled, too. “What _did_ you mean?” he asked uncertainly.

“That someone _else_ could have walked in.” She pursed her lips together, “and it could make front page, because your secretary wasn’t even there to stop me.”

Oliver pursed his lips. “Chloe, after everything that’s been printed about me, do you really think it would even _surprise_ anyone?” 

She pursed her own lips as well and shrugged slightly, “I just don’t see why you would want to set yourself up for something like that.”

“It’s not like I’m going around telling people I’m Green Arrow.” 

Chloe held her breath at that, “no, but still, it’s your name and your company’s name, Oliver.”

Oliver looked away, falling silent, his chest tightening a little involuntarily. 

“Look,” she said quietly, holding her breath, “I know we’re not very close, but if you need help with anything, let me know.” She offered. “Or I can contact the boys for you if you prefer.”

“No,” he said, his voice a little too sharp. 

Chloe blinked a couple of times then nodded a little, “okay.”

“I don’t need help. There’s nothing wrong.” He looked at her once more.

“Okay,” she repeated, holding his gaze. She knew he was lying and she wanted _him_ to know she knew, “the offer still stands.”

“Fine.” He held her gaze, as well. “You said you wanted to talk to me about something.” 

“It’s work,” she told him, setting her glass of water on the counter, “I’ll come by some other time.”

“What’s wrong with now?” He folded his arms across his chest.

“You’re still drunk, Oliver,” she reminded him, straightening and adjusting her purse over her shoulder, “I will do some more research and we will talk later. You should get some rest.”

“I’m not tired,” he informed her, arching an eyebrow. 

“Then take a shower and relax,” she suggested, “I’ll find my way out.”

Oliver rolled his eyes. “I’m _not_ drunk,” he said, annoyed. “You’ve never seen me drunk. I’m _fine_.” 

“I’m not comfortable talking to you about business right now,” she told him, keeping her voice calm, “I would prefer if we met later.”

“Whatever.” He shook his head, moving out of the kitchen and heading down the hallway.

“Feel free to call me,” she called after him stubbornly then made her way back to the elevator. She definitely had research to do. On him.


	2. Chapter 2

Oliver’s head was pounding as he heard the elevator making its way to the top floor of the clock tower. He rubbed a hand over his face tiredly and took another long drink of water. He’d downed a handful of aspirin when he’d woke up that morning, not bothering to count how many. 

Chloe stepped outside of the elevator quietly and arched her eyebrows as she looked around the quiet apartment, “Oliver?” She called. She had actually called him and let him know she’d be coming by this time.

He winced as her voice reverberated through his skull. “Not so loud,” he told her as he emerged from the hallway.

She pursed her lips together to stop herself from smirking at his reaction, “hey,” she greeted in a quieter voice, “how are you feeling?”

“Like crap,” he admitted, rubbing a hand over his face and moving to sit down on the sofa.

“Hungover?” She asked quietly, walking closer to him but not sitting.

“More than a little.” But at least the room had stopped spinning, which was a vast improvement in his opinion.

“Did you take anything?” She asked, cocking her head.

“Aspirin and water.” 

“What about food?” She arched her eyebrows.

He made a face, shaking his head. “Pass.”

“I would help,” she said sincerely, “pancakes.” 

“No. No thank you.” He grimaced.

“Okay,” she nodded, sitting down on the arm chair, “but Lois has a lot of experience in this matter and it always helps with her.”

“And you? Too smart for this kinda thing, I guess?” He raised his eyebrows a little, laying his head back on the sofa but glancing at her sideways, through the corner of his eye.

Chloe frowned at that and shrugged a little, looking down, “just not my thing.”

“Like I said, too smart for this,” he reiterated, closing his eyes.

She let out a breath and looked over at him, “you must have had a lot for you to feel this bad.”

“More than my fair share,” he confessed, trying to shrug it off with a light tone.

“How long have you been in Metropolis?” She asked quietly.

“Just a couple days,” he told her, shifting slightly on the sofa to try and get more comfortable--without much success. 

Chloe chewed on the inside of her mouth, “why don’t I run out and grab you at least a bagel or something?”

“I appreciate the offer, but I’m all right.” He avoided her eyes.

“Okay.” She sat back against the seat but kept her eyes on him.

“So what’d you want to talk about?” 

“It’s nothing,” she lied, shrugging, “I thought there was a case in Star City but it seems to have been solved now.”

He gave her a questioning look. “So you came all the way over here to tell me you had nothing to talk about?” 

“Well, after last night I figured I should come by and explain,” she lied again. 

Oliver rubbed the back of his neck. “Last night?” 

Chloe blinked a couple of times, “you don’t remember, hm. running into me?”

He cocked his head to look at her, his eyebrows furrowing a little. “No, I can’t say that I do. I guess I was out of it.” 

“Yeah, you kinda were,” she said, relaxing a little. “It’s not a big deal.”

“I didn’t...say or do anything inappropriate, did I?” His chest tightened a little.

“No,” she said quickly. Probably less awkward for the two of them if he didn’t remember it anyway. “You were fine.”

He watched her for a moment, then relaxed, rubbing his hand over his face. “Good.” 

“I’m surprised you are not being sick, honestly,” she told him, smiling a little. 

“I was earlier,” he told her, giving her a sheepish look. 

“Oh.” she nodded a little, “and you still don’t feel better?”

“Not enough better that I’m craving pancakes,” he said with a slight shrug.

Chloe smiled a little at that, “I noticed that.”

Oliver was quiet for a moment. “How have things around here been since the last time I was in Metropolis?” 

She considered for a moment then shrugged, “about the same.”

“I guess that’s good?” 

“Well, you could say that.” She told him, not convinced.

Oliver arched an eyebrow at her.

She sighed softly, “Clark just hasn’t been as proactive about.... keeping an ear out.”

He wasn’t surprised to hear that, but he chewed the inside of his cheek, remaining silent for the time being. 

“How are things in Star City?” She asked.

“Fine,” he said without hesitation. “It’s been quiet.” 

“Good,” she said, arching her eyebrows a little. But she didn’t really believe him. Not considering the news she’s been reading.

“Yeah.” He rose to his feet slowly, taking a drink of his water. “So basically same stuff, different day around here?”

“Yeah,” she agreed, “which is... unusual. For people like us.”

“I suppose,” he answered, moving to look out the window. 

She watched him for a moment, “how long do you think you’ll be here for?”

“I don’t know,” he said honestly. “A couple of weeks, maybe?” 

“Maybe we should have the boys come into the city, it’s been a while since we all hung out,” she suggested casually, remembering his reaction to the boys last night.

“I’m probably going to be pretty booked up while I’m here, but you should do that,” he said absently, staring out the window over the city.

Her eyes narrowed a little and she watched him for a moment longer, “any idea when you’ll be free?”

He drew in a breath and reluctantly turned to face her. “Unfortunately not, no.” 

“Okay, well, if you have any idea, I’ll call them.” She said, smiling slightly.

“You guys are welcome to get together here,” Oliver told her, chewing the inside of his cheek once more. He just wouldn’t be there to join in.

“Thanks,” she told him, “will you be patrolling while in town?”

“I’m not sure how much time I’m going to have for extracurriculars, to be honest.” He headed toward the kitchen to dispose of his empty bottle and grab another from the fridge. Mostly he just didn’t want her studying him too closely.

Her eyes narrowed as he walked away and once he was no longer on her line of sight she sat back. Something was definitely very wrong.

“You want something to drink?” he called from the kitchen.

“No, thank you.” She answered.

He reluctantly returned a moment later, opening the cap and taking a sip. “How’s the Planet?”

Chloe paused and pursed her lips together, “still under censorship I assume.”

Oliver paused, too. “You assume?” 

“Lex fired me a few weeks ago.” She glanced over at him.

He lowered the bottle he was holding to his side, staring at her. “I didn’t know.” 

“I didn’t tell you,” she shrugged.

He shook his head. “Why not?” 

“It just didn’t come up on our short conversations?” She frowned at him.

“Right,” he murmured, looking away and nodding. 

“You’ve been busy,” she pointed out.

“Yeah, but that’s kind of a big deal, don’t you think?” 

“It doesn’t change anything for you,” she told him sincerely, “besides, I knew Lex would find a reason sooner or later.”

He pursed his lips, shifting from one foot to the other and then taking another drink of his water. “Right.” 

“He’s been quiet,” she said, turning on her seat slightly.

“Probably plotting,” he commented, jaw tightening a little.

“Isn’t he always?” She sighed.

“Maybe I should just take care of him.” He moved away, setting the bottle down.

Chloe paused at that, turning again to keep watching him, “what do you mean? How?”

“However I can.” 

She stood up and turned toward him, “what are you talking about?”

He paused at the startled tone of her voice and shook his head, rubbing a hand over his face. “Nothing. I’m just thinking out loud.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly, “if you have a plan, you know I will help.”

He turned his head to look at her. “I don’t,” he said honestly.

“Let me know if that changes,” she said.

“You know I will.” His voice grew quiet. Even if she didn’t let _him_ know when things changed.

“Thank you,” she told him, holding his gaze.

“Sure.” He took another drink of his water and then moved to set it down.

“I guess you must be ready to go back to bed,” Chloe told him, smiling slightly, “I should go.”

“Yeah.” He pursed his lips, nodding a little. “Thanks for coming by.” 

“No problem,” she nodded back, “feel better.”

He drew in a breath and let it out slowly, nodding again. “Take care of yourself, Chloe.”

“You too, Oliver,” she looked at him for a moment longer then made her way back to the elevator.

He didn’t answer, simply watched her go.

* * * 

He stood on the balcony that night, staring out over the city lights and sighing softly. His chest was feeling tight again, like he could hardly breathe. He swallowed hard, shutting his eyes for a moment, then opening them again. 

He had to get past this. One way or another. There was nothing he could do to go back and change anything. 

But he couldn’t go back to Star City. 

Not yet anyway.

“Oliver?” Clark called as he pushed the elevator gates out of his way.

He blinked a few times, more than a little surprised to hear the other man’s voice. “Clark.” He turned to look toward the door.

“I saw the lights on.” He explained, walking over to him, “what are you doing in Metropolis?”

“Business,” he answered, leaning against the rail.

“And Lois?” His eyes narrowed.

Oliver blinked. “What about her?” 

“You already hurt her enough,” he said tightly, “ _and_ you put her in danger by letting her find out about you.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Nice to see you again, too, Clark.” 

“You put Chloe in danger too, Oliver. I don’t want you causing anymore trouble.”

“I’m not here to cause trouble,” he said sharply, his jaw tightening. “I told you, I’m here on business.” 

“I’ll hold you to that.” He said dryly. 

“And who’s holding you to anything these days?” 

Clark paused at that and frowned, “what are you talking about?”

“Well, according to the news, crime’s up around here by about fifteen percent compared to last year. So what is it that you’re doing these days that’s keeping you so damned busy, Boy Scout?” 

His eyes narrowed, “how are things in Star City?”

“Fine,” he responded flatly.

“I’m sure,” Clark’s eyes narrowed, “if you’re having enough free time to check on how things are _here_.”

“Awfully defensive there, Clark,” he commented. 

“I do my best to protect Metropolis, Oliver. And not hurt people I care about. Unlike you.”

His jaw tightened. “You sure about that?” he asked darkly. 

“Yes,” he told him, “and you better do the same when you are here.”

“I don’t plan to be around Lois or Chloe, Clark. Don’t worry. You can keep messing with their minds all by yourself with no interference from me.” 

“I don’t mess with their minds,” Clark’s jaw clenched.

Oliver offered him a casual smirk. “Sure.” 

“Don’t stay long.” Clark told him before speeding out of the apartment and through the back stairs.

* * * 

Oliver wrapped his hands with strips of material even as he made his way through the crowd and toward the cage in the center of the room. 

“You’re dead.” The man on the opposite end of the cage growled as the crowd around them roared.

He raised an eyebrow at him. “I wouldn’t bet on that,” he responded with a smirk.

“Get him!” One of the men yelled. 

“Go!” The judge said as he stepped out of the cage and locked it, “only one comes out alive!”


	3. Chapter 3

Chloe locked the door to the Isis front door, turned off all the lights then went back into the hidden room Lana had installed all of the computers. She had, since Lana left, added some of the programs Oliver had in the Clocktower to the system that she had modified for her own needs. 

The search was still a work in progress but at least the conference calls seemed to be working well so far and for the night, that was what she needed.

“Watchtower, connected.” She said as she established the network and took her seat in front of the main desk.

“Cyborg online,” Victor said a moment later, appearing on the screen to her left. He smiled at her and lifted his hand in a wave.

“Impulse has been here for about, well, _forever_ already, Gorgeous.” Bart grinned as he showed up.

“Aquaman’s here.” AC flashed her a smile as he appeared. 

“Thanks for coming,” Chloe told the boys.

“What about the boss?” Bart asked, “is he late?”

Victor raised his eyebrows, wondering the same thing. “Yeah, I don’t see Ollie.” 

“He...wasn’t notified.” Chloe said, pursing her lips together, “and he can’t know about this meeting.”

AC frowned. “Why not? What’s going on, Watchtower?” 

“I’m not sure yet,” she told them, “which is why I called this meeting, because I need your help figuring it out.”

“If _you_ can’t figure it out, we’re screwed,” Bart frowned.

“What’s going on? You mean with Ollie?” Victor cocked his head to the side. 

“Yeah,” she took a deep breath, “I don’t know why, but he’s in town and he seems to be trying to avoid all communication he can.”

AC’s frown deepened. “Come to think of it, he’s been pretty silent for a few weeks.” 

“Yeah, and... I don’t know him as well as you guys do, which is why I wanted your input.”

“I just assumed he’s been busy with the company,” Victor admitted, leaning forward in his chair a little and looking worried.

“That’s what he says but...” she pursed her lips together, “he was pretty drunk last night and I know his public persona ‘parties’ a lot,” she said, “but he was drinking in his office.” She explained, leaving out the other details.

All three of the guys grew still and wide-eyed at that news. 

“At _work_?” AC looked at her in surprise. “That’s not like Ollie.” 

“I didn’t think so,” she pursed her lips together, “I drove him home and he was very hungover this morning, which seemed unlike him too.” She went on.

“He had to have been pretty drunk if he was actually hung over,” Victor remarked, frowning. “For a guy without abilities, he has a pretty high metabolism.” 

“Seriously,” Bart frowned, “maybe we should talk to him.” 

“I tried,” Chloe pursed her lips together, “I think this will take a little more than just asking the right questions.”

“What are you thinking?” AC questioned, folding his hands on his lap and leaning forward a little. 

“I think that to start off with, we need to try and figure out what happened, he came into town a couple of days ago.” She explained.

“You think something happened in Star City?” Victor asked, raising his eyebrows.

“That’s my guess,” she nodded, “and I think he came here to get away from whatever it was.”

“Maybe he and Canary had a falling out,” AC suggested.

“What do you mean?” Chloe frowned a little.

“They were being flirty awhile back,” he said, shrugging, and not looking particularly thrilled about it. 

“I don’t think it went beyond that,” Victor said, shaking his head. “She’s not really his type.” 

“Well, it’s a starting point,” Chloe straightened, if the blond she had seen Oliver with was anything to go by, Dinah was definitely his type, “can any of you go and check with her?”

“I’ll call her,” AC volunteered, face brightening a little. 

“Thanks, AC. Bart maybe you can run over there, take a look at his apartment?” Chloe suggested. 

“Definitely, Watchtower,” he said with a wink.

“I’ll see if I can dig up anything unusual with his business stuff,” Victor told her.

“Thank you. And I will keep digging up what I can find and keeping an eye on him. Let me know if you guys come up with anything?”

“Absolutely,” AC agreed, nodding. 

Victor nodded, as well. “I’ll call if I find anything.” 

“As soon as I’m done,” Bart said before disappearing..

“Watchtower offline,” she told them after smiling at the guys.

* * * 

Oliver had barely moved in the last forty-eight hours. Frankly he wasn’t even sure how he’d managed to get home. He didn’t _remember_ how he’d gotten home, and he hadn’t even been taking anything at the time, but he certainly was now. Between the vodka he’d chugged the night before and a handful of vicodin this morning, he was barely conscious. But he _was_ conscious enough to hear the elevator ascending toward his floor. He wondered if he should’ve been more concerned than he felt, but he just wasn’t. 

With any luck, someone was coming to finish him off. 

“Oliver?” She called, reaching for the small box in her bag, with any luck, he wouldn’t be home and she would be able to get this over with.

His eyebrows furrowed a little, but he was too tired to try and get up. He forced himself to take a deep breath. “In here!” 

“Damnit,” she muttered under her breath then started down the hall, “in your room?” She asked.

“Yeah.” He rubbed a hand over his face, wondering why she was there so early in the morning.

She pursed her lips together and hesitated before making her way toward the darkened room, “I didn’t mean to wake you...” She said, squinting as she tried to see him.

“It’s all right. What’s going on?” His voice was groggy.

“Nothing, I was just... stopping by to see how you were doing.” She paused, “do you mind if I turn on the lights?”

He resisted the urge to groan, but he tugged the blankets up around him a little more. At least the other guy hadn’t punched him in the face. “All right.” 

Chloe searched for the light switch on the wall for a moment before turning it on, blinking a couple of times then looking at him, “I didn’t realize you’d still be in bed.”

“I’m not feeling well,” he told her. At least it wasn’t a lie.

“Oh,” she frowned, “do you need anything?”

“No. I’ll live.” He let out a breath, resting his head back against the pillow. 

“What are you feeling?” She asked, concerned.

“Achy, mostly,” he answered, closing his eyes. 

“Do you need any drugs?” She asked, stepping closer and feeling his forehead, “you’re hot.”

“Probably just the flu or something,” he murmured, leaning into her cool touch without really thinking about it.

“Okay, I’ll go get you some drugs for it and some soup and I’ll be back in about twenty minutes.” She told him, it wasn’t a suggestion.

“Chloe, don’t,” he whispered. “I’ll be fine. You don’t need to go to the trouble.” 

“I’ll feel better if you let me,” she said, pursing her lips together, “you look terrible, Oliver.”

“Gee, thanks.” His voice was a little lighter. 

Chloe smiled a little, “chicken soup okay?”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about the medicines. I took some aspirin.” 

“Okay,” she nodded slightly, “I’ll be back soon.”

He relaxed back into the pillow again, watching her go through heavy-lidded eyes.

Chloe was as fast as she could be, she did get him drugs, just in case and stopped by a restaurant that made a particularly good soup and bought Oliver a few containers of all the kinds they had so he could have them later if he felt like it, along with fresh bread. 

She put the extra containers into the fridge then dumped one of the chicken soup ones into a bowl, picked up some of the bread and water then made her way back into his room, “Oliver?” She called quietly.

He woke again, starting at the sound of her voice and pain shot through him. He bit down hard on his tongue to keep himself from making any noise. Then he swallowed hard, trying to push himself into a sitting position as he heard her footsteps. “Yeah.” 

She poked her head into the room then slowly made her way to him, “here, it’s really hot.”

“You really didn’t need to do this, Chloe.” His voice was quiet, rough.

“I don’t mind, Oliver,” she said sincerely and once he took the tray from her, she reached for her purse, “and I know you said you didn’t need the drugs, but...” she pulled out a box, “this should help with the fever.”

His expression was troubled as he gazed at her. “Thank you.” 

“No problem,” she smiled a little, “how are you feeling?”

Like he had a broken rib or two--which he probably did. “I’ll be all right.”

“Do you want me to make you tea or something?” She asked, knowing he didn’t like coffee.

“No, the water’s fine. You’ve done more than enough.” There was a hint of guilt in his voice.

“I really don’t mind, Oliver,” she frowned at his tone, “I mean it. You would do the same thing for anyone on the team and it’s not a big deal.”

“You don’t really know me that well.” 

“Considering the team and what I do know about you, I have no problems with believing that,” she said quietly, keeping her eyes on him.

He chewed the inside of his cheek, his gaze dropping down to the bowl of soup in his hands. 

“And I don’t think you remember the talk we had when you were drunk,” she said, holding her breath, “but if you want to talk about whatever is going on, or if you need help, I’m here for that too.”

His chest tightened involuntarily. “What uh--what did we talk about?” 

“Not much,” she shrugged, “but you seemed... upset.”

“I did?” He swallowed hard, suddenly feeling nervous. 

“Yeah,” her eyes narrowed slightly but she quickly changed her expression, “I just offered to help but you declined.”

“Help with what?” He reluctantly took a bite of the soup.

“Whatever it is that is going on with you,” she answered.

Oliver held his breath for a long moment. “I’m just...stressed from work, Chloe.” 

“What is wrong with work?” She asked, frowning a little.

“I think it’s all just getting to me.” He didn’t look at her. 

“Everything you do?” She pressed, but kept her voice quiet.

“Maybe I took on too much.” 

“You do a lot,” she agreed, “but you have been doing it for so long.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t have.” 

“What makes you say that?” She asked, pursing her lips together.

“Like I said, it’s all just getting to me.” He didn’t look at her.

“Maybe you just need a break, Ollie.” She said quietly.

“Yeah. Yeah, maybe,” he murmured.

“A vacation,” she told him, sitting down on the armchair by the bed, “from both your jobs.”

Oliver pursed his lips, staring up at the ceiling for a long moment. “Yeah.” 

“I can set it up for you, if you want me to,” she suggested.

He drew in a breath and let it out slowly, setting his bowl of soup on the nightstand and turning to look at her. He studied her for a long moment, chewing the inside of his cheek, but not answering.

Chloe arched her eyebrows a little and stared back at him but didn’t break the silence, letting him have the time he needed to say whatever he seemed to want to say.

“Why do you do it?” He shook his head a little. 

“Do what?” She asked, frowning slightly. 

“Any of it. This whole save the world business. Why do you do it?” 

She considered her answer carefully for a moment then pursed her lips together and shrugged, “I just can’t _not_ do it.” She said sincerely, “ever since I found out about Clark and you guys and all the amazing things each one of you do, I just want to do everything _I_ can do to help you.”

“But look at everything you’ve lost,” he said, shaking his head a little. “Is it really worth it?” 

“My life was always messy, Oliver. At least now I’m helping other people.” she told him.

He looked away, rubbing a hand over his face tiredly as he laid back against the pillows once more, wincing involuntarily as pain shot through his back.

“Why are you asking me this?” She asked, not missing the wince of pain on his face.

“Because sometimes I don’t think it’s really worth it. Sometimes I think in the end we hurt more than we help.” His jaw tightened just a little.

She couldn’t help wonder if he was talking about Dinah, “what do you mean by that?”

He didn’t look at her. “I mean, maybe sometimes things happen for a reason and us getting involved screws things up.”

“Maybe us getting involved is what was supposed to happen all along,” she argued, searching his eyes as she tried to make sense of what he was saying.

“Maybe,” he murmured, his shoulders dropping a little. 

“We have no way of knowing what would happen if we didn’t get involved,” she went on, “but wouldn’t you rather know you’re doing everything you can?”

Oliver’s chest tightened painfully at her words. At the _hope_ laced in them. “What if I’m not?” 

“What do you mean?” She asked, because as hard as she tried, she couldn’t figure out where he was going with this.

He let out a breath, shaking his head. “I don’t know,” he murmured. “I’m just over-tired. I’m not making any sense.” 

“Tell me what is making you think that,” she pressed, sitting forward, “maybe you are making more sense than you realize.”

Oliver chewed the inside of his cheek again. He was surprised to realize that he _wanted_ to tell her the truth. To let her be the one to carry the burden for awhile. But he wouldn’t do that. Not to Chloe. Not when that’s what Clark _always_ did to her. And it wasn’t like he had anything he could offer her. The best thing for her would be to get as far away from him as she possibly could. “I think I need to get some sleep,” he said, his voice a little more firm than before.

She let out the breath she’d been holding during his silence and nodded slightly, looking down then standing up, “okay,” she whispered, “if you need anything, you can call me.” She offered even though she knew he wouldn’t.

He reached out and caught her hand, gripping onto it tightly for a moment. “Thank you,” he said, his words sincere as he gazed up at her. “You’re a good friend, Chloe.” 

Chloe paused, surprised but instinctively squeezed his hand as she looked down at him, “I mean it,” she told him quietly, “call if you need and feel better.”

He swallowed hard, nodding a little and reluctantly letting her go. “I’ll try.”

“Do you have your phone nearby?” She asked as she dropped her hand.

“Yeah.” He lifted it up off the pillow on the other side of him.

“Okay,” she nodded then reluctantly start to the door, pausing and glancing at him, “I’ll see you soon.”

“Bye, Chloe.” His voice was quiet.

She frowned slightly, “bye,” she told him, turning off the light and closing the door halfway as she made her way outside of the room. She couldn’t help but feel unsettled, like whatever was going on was much bigger than she had thought. 

Chloe listened for a moment then made her way back to her purse, she picked up a couple of the cameras Victor had made a few months back and placed one in Oliver’s wallet, one by the door and one in the elevator as she made her way out. It was far from what she had been hoping to accomplish when she originally went to the Clocktower that morning, but at least now, she would be able to keep a closer eye on him.


	4. Chapter 4

Oliver climbed onto his bike the next night, not bothering with his helmet, which he left on the garage floor. He revved the engine after he started the bike, his eyes dark as he sped out of the garage and down the street. 

Metropolis traffic at night usually wasn’t bad, and tonight was no exception, and he was glad. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with a lot of traffic. But he was running late, so he sped up a little, focusing intently on the road in front of him. He knew there was a crowd of racers that hung out on the edge of the East side of the city, and he was in the mood to be around people who _got_ it. 

His grip tightened a little on the handles and he shifted on the bike, weaving around a couple of cars on the one way street and narrowly avoiding a bus as he ran a red light. A short chuckle escaped him involuntarily. 

_That_ was close. 

Chloe had gone out to the front just to pick up the Chinese food she had ordered when she heard the loud motor noises coming from the secret room hidden toward the back of the building. She rushed her way through the narrow corridor of Isis and pushed the door open, her eyes widening when she saw that Oliver was apparently on his bike, which she had thankfully also bugged on her way out.

“What are you doing?” She asked out loud as she set the bag of food on one of the desks, her eyes on the screen.

Within moments he’d made it to the edge of town where the bikers gathered, a large barrel of flames off to the edge of the road where people stood talking. He pulled up alongside them, lifting up his glasses and raising his eyebrows. “Guys.” He winked at one of the women standing close by. “Ladies.” 

“Oliver?” She frowned, activating the GPS on the cameras as she started to track where he was, even as two of the women walked right up to him to apparently wish him good luck. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

He grinned at the women, winking at them again and nodding slightly at the pretty blond who kissed his cheek. “If I don’t win now, there’s no way I can.” 

“Win?” Chloe asked, and from one of the two cameras she had on his bike, she could also see the other bikers parked around him, “you can’t be serious.”

“Good luck,” the blond said brightly, blowing him a kiss. 

“Thanks, Sweetheart.” He winked at her and shifted on his bike as he watched a couple other guys get on _their_ bikes, eager to face the new competition.

“You were sick yesterday,” she shook her head, tensing as she heard the loud roar of his engine, “what the hell are you thinking, Oliver?”

He clenched his teeth as his ribs ached painfully beneath his leather jacket, but he shifted on the bike, speeding away as a pretty brunette blew a whistle, waving her arms to signal the start of the race. His heart thundered against his ears as he steered the curves of the road easily, leaning into them expertly, his eyes widening just a little as one of the other guys veered close to him--too close. _Way_ too close. 

She held her breath and straightened when Oliver swerved slightly before getting back on his path. ”What are you doing?”

Without warning, the other biker cut in front of him, forcing him to turn the bike sharply to the right and he gritted his teeth as he veered off the road, right toward a huge hedge of bushes. “Oh fuck,” he muttered, holding his breath. 

_This is gonna hurt_. 

“Oliver!” She gasped as he crashed with loud noises and without thinking twice, she looked away, pulling up Bart’s screen and connecting to him.

A moment later his face filled her screen and he grinned at her. “Hey, ‘licious. What’s up?” 

“Oliver is hurt,” she said, her eyes wide, “sending you the coordinates right now, _hurry_ and take him straight to MetGen.”

His eyes widened, as well. “I’m on it.” 

Chloe swallowed hard, her eyes on the screen even as she saw a red blur come and go a moment later. It was hard to tell how bad it had been, but she wasn’t about to wait, not considering he seemed unconscious.

* * * 

He woke up slowly, feeling groggy and like he’d been sleeping for days. There was pressure on his ribs and he winced as he opened his eyes, blinking a few times to clear his vision. He was a little startled to realize he was in a _hospital_ bed, shirtless, his ribs wrapped with white bandages. There was an IV attached to his left hand and he looked down at it with uncertainty. 

“Mr. Queen, good to see you awake,” the doctor said as she walked into the room.

Oliver drew in a breath and let it out slowly, looking up at her. “How long have I been unconscious?” 

“A little over two days now,” she told him, stepping up to the bed, “how are you feeling?”

“Kinda drowsy,” he told her, raising his eyebrows. “I’m guessing you guys have been giving me the good stuff.” 

“With three broken ribs, you needed all the help you could get,” she told him, “but you should make a full recovery.”

His expression was neutral. “Great.” 

She checked on his bandages then nodded slightly, “I will let the nurse know you’re awake, she will be by with food shortly, and your next dose should be in about an hour.”

“Thank you,” he said, looking toward the window. 

The doctor nodded, “if you need anything, just press that button and we will be right here.” She said before leaving the room.

He had no doubt. He was Oliver Queen, after all. People catered to his every whim--either because they wanted something from him, or they were scared of him. He wondered if when the person in the room beside his needed something, the nurses were _right there_. 

A couple of minutes later, the door opened again, slowly this time, “Oliver?” Chloe said quietly in surprise when she saw his head up.

His chest tightened at the sound of the familiar voice. Of course she’d come visit him. Out of some misplaced sense of duty or friendship, he wasn’t really sure, but he wasn’t surprised to see her. “Hey.” 

“Hi,” she greeted quietly, she had spent most of the past 48 hours there, in and out of the room. It wasn’t until the doctor reassured her that he would be okay that she allowed herself to leave, go to Isis, shower and nap for a couple of hours before getting back, “how are you feeling?”

“Not too bad,” he told her, pursing his lips. “Groggy.” 

“You’ve been out for a while,” she nodded, “how long ago did you wake up?”

“Just a few minutes ago.” He stifled a yawn. “The doctor said I’ve been here for a couple days.” 

“Yeah,” she nodded, holding her breath, “since Friday night.”

He swallowed hard at that. “Don’t tell me you’ve been here all this time.” 

“I wasn’t here the whole time.” She said pursing her lips together, “the boys have been coming by too.”

Oliver was silent for a moment. “I’m okay.” 

“You’re not okay,” she said, closing the door before stepping closer to the bed.

“Do you know something I don’t?” His eyebrows furrowed a little. 

“I’m sure you know,” she said, keeping her eyes on him.

“Well, the doctor said I was going to make a full recovery.” He didn’t like the way she was watching him. Like she could see exactly what was going on in his head. 

“She told me that too,” Chloe said, “a physical recovery anyway.”

He paused. “What are you getting at, Chloe?” 

“We may not know each other all that well, Oliver, but it doesn’t take a lot to know you aren’t okay.” She said, “you weren’t sick at all, the other day, were you?”

He stared at her for a moment. “What makes you say that?” 

“Your ribs,” she told him, arching her eyebrows. 

“Huh?” He shook his head a little.

“They were broken before the crash on your bike,” she stepped closer, “they had already started to heal by the time the doctor saw you.”

Oliver fell silent at that.

“So why don’t you tell me what _really_ happened?”

“I got hurt patrolling.” It was an easy lie to tell, believable even.

“Then why didn’t you just tell me that?” She asked, knowing he was lying. She had been checking on his patrols too after all.

He shrugged, pursing his lips and avoiding her eyes. “Does it really matter?” 

“Yes, it does. It mattered enough for you to hide it from me.”

“Well, I’m fine. Like you said, it’s already started to heal, so...” 

“Yeah but you seemed set on breaking it over again last night.” She said blankly. 

Oliver swallowed hard at that, not looking up. “It was a mistake.” 

“Going there or crashing?” Chloe pressed, stepping even closer.

He sighed softly at that, rubbing a hand over his face tiredly. “The other guy ran me off the road.” 

“So crashing was a mistake,” she arched her eyebrows, “not risking your life for no good reason.”

“That’s not what I said.” There was the barest hint of annoyance in his voice.

“Then stop making me guess and tell me what you want to say, Oliver, because all I know is that you nearly succeeded at getting yourself _killed_!” She told him, more of just a hint of annoyance in her own voice.

“Yeah, well. Wouldn’t have been that big of a loss anyway,” he said, shoving the blankets off his legs and grimacing as he swung them off the bed.

“What are you _doing_?” She asked, her eyes widening as he got up.

“I’m not staying here.” He reached down and yanked the IV out of his hand. 

She stepped in front of him, “and where are you going?”

“Back to the clock tower,” he informed her, narrowing his eyes at her as she blocked his path to the door. 

She didn’t move, “you haven’t been cleared to leave and you shouldn’t even be _standing_.”

“So you’ve never signed yourself out of a hospital AMA?” 

“I wasn’t purposely putting myself in danger when I did.” She said, holding his gaze. 

“Look, I don’t know what you want from me.” He shook his head a little. 

“I want you to stop going around like you have a death wish.” She said simply.

“I don’t have a death wish.” 

“Then why are you doing this, Oliver?”

He stared at her for a long moment, his jaw tightening ever-so-slightly. “I’m just living my life, Chloe.” 

“So you rather risk your life by racing your bike than by _saving lives_?” She pressed.

“Yeah, maybe I would.” He moved past her, heading toward the closet and wincing as he reached inside to pull out a clean shirt. 

“Funny how just a couple weeks ago we were planning missions,” her jaw clenched, “so what changed?”

He shut his eyes for a moment, his back remaining toward her. “I got bored,” he said flatly.

“People don’t just decide to drop all of their responsibilities and get themselves killed because they are _bored_ , Oliver.”

“Well, I’m not just a regular person, am I?” He turned to face her, his expression cold. 

“No, you’re not,” she said, holding his gaze, “which is how I know you wouldn’t just do this.”

“You don’t know me,” he informed her, taking a step toward her, shirt in his hands. “Look, the whole hero gig was fun while it lasted. But I’ve moved on.” 

“That’s the thing, Oliver.” She told him, jaw tight “I do know you, maybe not as well as the boys but well enough to know this much. Just not _why_.”

He pulled the shirt on over his head. “Maybe you just don’t know me as well as you think you do.” 

“Maybe you are just trying to push me away,” she said, arching her eyebrows, “but don’t worry, I don’t give up easily.” She said firmly before turning around and walking toward the door again. 

His chest tightened at her determination. “I get that Clark’s let you down because he’s pining for Lana and that you’re looking for another hero. But I guarantee that’s not me.” 

Her jaw clenched but she didn’t turn to look at him, “I’m not looking for a hero, Oliver. I’m trying to help someone I consider a friend, even if it’s obviously one-sided.”

He winced involuntarily at that and fell silent, watching her go.


	5. Chapter 5

To say Chloe had been worried about him after their conversation at the hospital didn’t begin to cover it, she was furious at him, sure, but mostly worried. It hadn’t taken too much research to figure out he had broken his ribs because of cage fighting underground, between that and the bike race, it had become pretty clear to her that he had a death wish.

Now she just had to figure out why.

And that was all she had been doing in the past two days. She had barely slept or eaten, she had been watching footage of everything she could get her hands on. 

Green Arrow had been out two nights before Oliver arrived in Metropolis, she had seen him going out through the roof of the penthouse and she had seen him returning, except instead of his usual return of two or three in the morning, he hadn’t made it back until almost six, when the sun was already rising.

If she had to guess, which she did since she had nothing else to go on, she would guess that something happened _then_.

So she had tapped into the Queen Industries satellites and she had followed him, step by step through the night. 

That was when she figured it out. 

Just past three in the morning, Oliver went to help a woman get away from a man Chloe could only assume had been trying to rob her, or worse. Green Arrow lifted his bow, shot his arrow except, instead of hitting the bad guy, it hit the victim. 

The same victim Chloe had read about on the news and had been wanting to talk to Oliver about because apparently, she had been killed by an arrow. Chloe had initially assumed someone had been trying to frame him, but apparently, he had killed her himself. 

An accident, but Chloe knew he wasn’t seeing it that way. Which meant she had to find him and confront him and make him see it wasn’t his fault. Before he did something he couldn’t come back from.

* * * 

Oliver looked from the roulette table to the dealer. He’d dropped the last of his cash _and_ his Visa on the last game and lost it. Pursing his lips, he reached into his pocket and grabbed the keys to his Corvette, dangling them off his finger with raised eyebrows. 

“You sure about this?” he asked uncertainly. 

“I have nothing to lose,” he said flatly, dropping the keys onto the table. 

Chloe made her way inside of the casino where she had tracked Oliver’s phone to. It didn’t take her long to find him, it was in the middle of the day after all. She took a deep breath then started toward him, stopping a couple of steps away to listen. At least he was still breathing.

“If you say so.” The dealer picked up the keys and spun the wheel. 

Oliver’s expression remained blank, bored even as the wheel stopped and he lost the game. He shrugged and pushed himself away from the table, picking up his glass of whiskey and taking a drink. 

“How much has he lost?” She asked the dealer as she approached the table.

The man eyed her. “Depends how much the corvette is worth. I’d say about eighty grand, easy.” 

“I think that’s enough,” Chloe picked up the keys and handed the dealer, “he’s done.”

“What are you, my mother?” Oliver scowled at her, finishing off his whiskey.

“You’re drunk,” she observed but didn’t glare at him like she wanted to, “we’re leaving.”

He chuckled, setting the glass down on the table and then moving away from both the table and her. 

“Oliver.” She said firmly and grabbed his arm as tightly as she could.

“Let go of me, Chloe.” His voice was flat, amusement gone.

“No.” She told him, holding his gaze, “we are leaving, we need to _talk_.”

He reached out and grabbed hold of her other arm, yanking her close to him. “What if I don’t _want_ to _talk_?” 

“You don’t have a choice,” she said simply.

“There’s always a choice, Chloe,” he responded, letting her go and trying to break free from her grasp. 

Her hand tightened around his arm, “we can talk here if you’d prefer. But my guess is that you wouldn’t want to discuss this particular subject in public.”

He glared at her. “Why won’t you just leave me the fuck alone?” he demanded.

“Because I know what happened.” She said firmly.

Even through his drunken haze, that registered in his brain. He yanked his arm away from her, heading straight for the door, his heart pounding heavily in his chest.

Chloe took a deep breath and swallowed hard, then followed as quickly as possible.

Oliver stepped outside the casino, off-balance and nauseous, both from the alcohol and the realization that Chloe _knew_. He watched as a bus made its way down the street and for a brief moment, he seriously contemplated just stepping out in front of it. 

But as it zoomed by, he shut his eyes. He was just too much of a goddamned coward.

“Oliver!” She gasped and even though he had stopped, she grabbed his shirt and pulled him back toward her with all of her strength, stumbling backwards.

They both hit the ground hard and he groaned, falling onto his side to avoid falling _on_ her. “What the hell...” 

She let out her breath and looked over at him as she pushed herself into a sitting position, “I thought you were going to--”

He didn’t answer, and he didn’t try and get up. Instead he let out a breath, shutting his eyes again.

Chloe stood up and stepped to the side so she was standing directly in front of him, “come with me, please?” She asked, “to Isis so we can talk.”

“I don’t have anything to say,” he murmured.

“But I do,” she told him, holding out her hand.

Oliver opened his eyes, looking up at her for a long moment, uncertainty in his eyes as he slid his hand into hers reluctantly. Chloe held onto his hand firmly and pulled him up as well as she could. “Come on.”

He rose to his feet slowly, stumbling when she pulled him. His arms wound around her instinctively and he looked down at her, expression unreadable. 

She stilled and wrapped her arms around him too to help him balance as she looked up at him, barely stopping herself from asking him if he was okay since she already knew that answer.

His chin dropped to his chest, his eyes closing. “You should just let me deal with this my way.” 

“I can’t let you hurt yourself.” She told him, her chest tight as she watched him closely even though he had his eyes closed.

“It’s what I deserve.” 

“Let me drive you back there, okay?” She said, pulling away slightly, “then we’ll talk.”

He fell silent, but didn’t try to move away from her to head in the opposite direction. 

Chloe placed a hand on his back and slowly started leading him toward her car, keeping her eyes on him.

He climbed into the passenger seat of her car without saying a word, not bothering with the seatbelt as he rubbed a hand over his face. 

She didn’t say anything either, just drove them to Isis as quickly as the traffic would let her, parking in front of the building moments later, “let’s go inside.”

He didn’t really see the point. He stared out the windshield for a long moment, then reluctantly climbed out of the car, feeling like he’d gone into autopilot. The same way he’d felt that night, after. 

Chloe glanced at him to make sure he was coming then unlocked the door, stepping inside and holding it open for him. Oliver stepped inside the building, glancing around and shoving his hands into his coat pockets silently.

She closed the door and locked it before following him further into the building, “why don’t you sit down?”

He moved to sit down, not looking at her. He rested his head in his hands.

With a deep breath she sat down on the couch as well, but kept distance between them, “tell me what happened.”

“You already know.” 

“I know the outcome, not the details.” She explained.

“The details don’t matter,” he murmured.

“They do,” she nodded, “because from what I saw, you have no reason to blame yourself.”

He lifted his head from his hands, hot, angry tears in his eyes. “How the hell can you say that? I _killed_ a woman!” 

Her eyes widened at the sight of his tears and she sat up, “it was an _accident_ , Oliver.”

“It doesn’t matter.” He turned away from her, shaking his head and rubbing his hands over his cheeks. “It doesn’t make her any less dead.” 

“It doesn’t make you any less of a hero.” She pointed out.

His mind spun with her statement and he turned to stare at her like she’d grown a set of horns. “I’m not a hero. I’m a _killer_ ,” he said harshly. 

“You’re _not_ a killer,” she stood up, turning to face him, “I’m really sorry this happened, but accidents will happen, Oliver. Don’t you think this happens with cops and firemen? Even doctors. They are all trying to help people, but things can and will go wrong.” She told him, holding his gaze, “it’s no different with what we do.”

Oliver looked away from her, shutting his eyes even as another tear trickled down his cheek. “Just stop,” he whispered. 

“I’m telling you the truth,” she said, softer this time.

His chest and throat both tightened. “He moved,” he whispered. “I didn’t anticipate it. He didn’t know I was there. He just...moved a little.” 

“He moved,” she agreed, her voice still soft, “but it wasn’t just a little, Oliver. He sped, almost as fast as Clark and Bart.”

He opened his eyes, turning to stare at her once more.

“I found the footage through your satellite,” she explained, searching his eyes, “I saw him.”

“Why are you telling me this?” He pursed his lips together, shaking his head again.

“Because I don’t want you to blame yourself for something you couldn’t have helped,” she said quietly, moving to sit down again.

“But I could have, Chloe.” His voice grew so quiet it was barely audible. “I _could_ have helped it if I hadn’t been out there at all.” 

“He would have hurt her, she would have suffered, Oliver. And then he might have killed her anyway.” She told him, “what happened was an accident.”

“Maybe. Or maybe he would have just grabbed her purse and taken off.” He turned away from her again, raking a hand through his blond hair.

“He’s a metahuman with superspeed,”she pointed out, “if that had been all he wanted, he would have done it without being seen.”

He fell silent, shutting his eyes and moving to stand beside the nearest desk by the door.

Chloe turned her head and watched him but didn’t get up, wanting to give him space. “I’m really sorry you’re going through this,” she said sincerely, “but you shouldn’t blame yourself like this and you definitely don’t have to go through it alone.”

He sniffed involuntarily, rubbing his hand over his eyes. “I kinda do. It was my mistake. Her blood’s on my hands and mine alone--accident or not.” 

“That’s just it, Ollie.” She stood up, “it was a mistake. And these things happen. It could have happened to any of us, more so with you guys who are out there.”

Oliver’s shoulders dropped at her words, his throat tightening painfully, making it hard to breathe. 

She held her breath and hesitantly stepped closer to him, lifting a hand to his arm, “it’s not your fault.” She said quietly.

He shut his eyes once more at the feel of her fingers against his arm. “I need to go,” he murmured. 

“No, you don’t.” She told him, “you don’t need to be alone.”

He turned to look at her, his eyes watery. “You’re a good person, Chloe,” he told her quietly. 

“So are you, Ollie.” She said just as quietly, holding his gaze. 

“I tried to be.” He looked down at the floor. “But I guess it’s true what they say about the road to hell.” 

“No,” she said, her voice firm, “one mistake, one _accident_ doesn’t erase all the good you’ve done. And you have helped so many people, saved so many lives. Including mine.”

He blinked, shaking his head a little. “I’ve never saved your life.” 

“You did,” she smiled a little, “from Dinah, remember?”

He sighed softly. “She wouldn’t have killed you, Chloe. Dinah’s no killer.” 

“We didn’t know that when that happened,” she said quietly.

“No,” he agreed, looking away.

“And there aren’t many people who would just willingly risk their lives to help others like you do, which is why we need you.”

“You don’t.” His jaw tightened a little. 

“Yes, we do,” she nodded, holding his gaze, “we are a team because of you, we are able to help people because _you_ inspired us to and because you put us together.”

“I don’t think I can be that guy anymore, Chloe. I don’t think I have it in me.” His voice was barely audible.

“That’s not a decision you should make when you’re like this, Oliver.” She told him, her own voice quiet. “Let me help you through this and if you still want to quit when you feel better, I promise I won’t try to interfere then.”

He drew in a breath and let it out slowly, looking down at the floor for a long moment. “I’ll think about it.” 

“Thank you,” she told him quietly.

Oliver chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment, then glanced at her from under his eyelashes. “Do the others know?” 

“No,” she said, holding his gaze, “and I’m not telling anyone.” 

His chest tightened at that and he swallowed hard. “Thank you.” 

“No need to thank me,” she told him, “I just had to know to try to figure out how to help you.”

“You really think I can be helped?” There was a hint of doubt in his voice.

Her chest tightened at that and she nodded, “of course,” she whispered, “and I will do everything I can to help you.”

Oliver rubbed the back of his neck, nodding ever-so-slightly. “I’m gonna get going.” 

“Let me drive you,” she said, arching her eyebrows a little.

“I need to think,” he said quietly. “It’s not a far walk.” 

She hesitated then nodded a little, “promise you won’t vanish? Or do anything to hurt yourself?”

He winced slightly. “I won’t walk out in front of a bus.” 

“Or do anything else that could be dangerous?” She asked, she had to know, even if she was going to keep an eye on him, she wanted to have his word. 

“Can I still drink as long as I promise not to get alcohol poisoning?” He raised his eyebrows a little.

“And you promise you won’t try to drive while drunk? Or gamble?” She asked.

“I’ve never driven while drinking,” he told her, pursing his lips.

“Okay,” she nodded a little, “but if you want to go anywhere, you can call me.”

He gazed at her for a moment longer, then nodded slightly and headed toward the door, his hand grasping onto the handle before he turned to look at her once more, uncertain. “Thank you.” 

She held his gaze and nodded a little, “anytime.”


	6. Chapter 6

Oliver wasn’t expecting to hear the elevator doors sliding open. He’d been lying in bed all day, thinking over everything that had happened, and everything that Chloe had said. And even though he’d told her he’d probably be drinking, he hadn’t. It wasn’t like it was really helping anyway. But when he heard the elevator, he swung his legs off the bed, raising his eyebrows a little. He wondered if Chloe had come to make sure he’d kept his promise not to off himself, but instead, he spotted Lois stepping into his living room. 

He swallowed hard. He hadn’t seen her in months--since his last trip to Metropolis, in fact, when she’d discovered his secret identity, and decided she couldn’t be with someone she had to share with the world. 

“You _are_ in town and didn’t bother to call me?” Lois asked, pausing when she saw him, “you look like shit, Ollie.”

“Thanks, Lois. You always know how to make a guy feel better,” he said, trying to keep his voice light.

“Yeah, that’s what you get for not telling me you were here.” She smirked, “what brings you back to Kansas?”

“Business,” he said without hesitation.

“Which business? The CEO or the green leather type?”

“CEO,” he told her, raising his eyebrows a little.

“Boring, but I’ll take it. Have anything for me to publish?” She smirked.

“Not so much, I’m afraid,” he said, shaking his head and leaning against the back of the sofa. “How’ve you been, Lois?” 

“Good,” she shrugged, “trying to find leads.”

“How are things at the Planet?” 

“Good, it hasn’t been the same since Chloe left but she seems to be over it so...”

Oliver felt his chest tighten just a little at Chloe’s name and he chewed the inside of his cheek. “Still kinda hard to believe.” 

“Not really when you hear Lex is behind it.” Lois told him, heading to the kitchen, “do you have any coffee?”

“I don’t really drink the stuff,” he reminded her, raising his eyebrows a little. “There’s water, though. And beer.” 

“I’ll take a beer,” Lois said, “and you look like you could use one too.”

He didn’t tell her he’d already had more than his fair share for a lifetime, but hell, what was one more anyway? Nodding, he followed her into the kitchen and pulled open the fridge--which had several bottles of beer and nothing else. He handed one to her and grabbed another for himself, popping the top and taking a long drink before he hopped up onto the counter to sit, motioning to the counter opposite her for her to do the same. 

Lois took a sip of her beer then sat down where he offered, “so, what’s new, Queen?”

This time it was guilt that made his chest tighten and he smiled, but it was forced. “Nothing, really.” 

Lois squinted a little, “how long are you in town for?”

“Not sure,” he admitted.

“Well, what kind of business is it?” She asked.

Good question, he thought, shrugging a little. “Nothing exciting, Lois. Just overseeing some things here at the Metropolis branch.” 

She kept her eyes on him for a moment then took another drink of her beer, “we should do dinner before you leave, since I never know when you come into Metropolis.”

“At least you didn’t punch me this time.” He smirked faintly.

“We can change that if you want to,” she smirked back.

“Thanks, but I think I’ll pass.” 

Lois sighed a little, “are you okay, Ollie?”

He looked down, wishing she hadn’t seen through him so easily. Apparently that ability ran in the Sullivan-Lane family, though. “No, not really,” he admitted, almost inaudibly.

Lois paused, surprised at his sincerity, “what’s going on?”

He took a long drink of his beer, wishing it was something stronger. “I killed someone.” 

She stilled, eyes widening, “you _what_?”

Oliver couldn’t bring himself to look at her. “It was an accident,” he whispered. 

“What happened?” She asked, getting down from the counter.

He shook his head a little. “I don’t--I can’t talk about it,” he told her, his voice shaky. “I needed to get away for awhile, so I came here.” 

“You look like you _should_ talk about it,” she told him.

He raked a hand through his hair, finishing off his beer and setting the empty bottle in the sink. “I’m okay.” 

“Alright, if you change your mind,...”

Oliver nodded slightly, glancing up at her momentarily and holding his breath. She walked over to him and hesitated before hugging him. He hesitated a moment, too, then slid his arms around her, returning the hug. “Thanks,” he murmured.

“You’ll be fine,” she said, nodding a little.

“I know,” he said, sounding more confident than he felt. 

“Good,” she nodded, “anything you need, just tell me.”

“I appreciate that, Lois,” he said sincerely.

She nodded a little, “I gotta go back to the Planet,” she told him, “but let me know when you can do dinner?”

“Absolutely.” His voice was quiet. “Good to see you.”

“You too,” she smiled a little before making her way to the elevator.

He watched her go, then picked up her unfinished bottle of beer and drank it quickly. 

* * *

She had been watching him for the past day and a half very closely, she had seen when Lois went by and had heard the conversation, she was surprised that Oliver had told her but he and her cousin had a history, so she supposed it was easier for him to talk to her. 

But he hadn’t eaten at all since she started observing him, so she figured she should make sure he did that. She picked up a pizza and made her way to the Clocktower, waiting impatiently for the elevator to take her to the top floor.

When he heard the elevator this time, he glanced up from where he was laying on the sofa, blinking a few times sleepily. He’d managed to fall asleep there in front of the TV, which was on some black and white film he didn’t recognize. He sat up slowly and grabbed the remote, shutting it off and eying the elevator warily. 

Chloe balanced the pizza box in one hand and pushed the gate open, “Oliver?” she called, squinting in the mostly dark apartment.

He relaxed a little, and slowly rose to his feet. “Here,” he said, reaching out and flipping on a lamp.

“Hey,” she greeted quietly, pursing her lips together.

“Hi,” he said, his eyes widening a little as he realized she’d brought a pizza.

“I thought you might be hungry.” She told him quietly.

Oliver held his breath for a minute, and he nodded, managing a small smile. “Yeah, I am, actually,” he admitted.

“Me too,” she smiled softly, relaxing a little, “were you asleep?”

“I dozed off watching...some movie,” he told her, shrugging. “Come on in.” 

“Thanks,” she told him, looking around then heading to the table by the kitchen and setting the pizza down.

He slowly made his way into the kitchen behind her, raising his eyebrows a little. “Is water okay? I don’t really...have much else.” 

“Yeah, it’s fine. I should drink more of that anyway.”

Nodding a little, he moved to the cabinets to grab a couple of glasses down, filling them with ice and water, and handing one to her. 

“Thanks,” she said as she took the glass, “I got pepperoni, I hope that’s okay.”

“Yeah, that’s fine,” he assured her, smiling faintly. “Considering.” 

“Considering?” She asked, arching her eyebrows.

“That we’ve never shared a meal, for one.” He drew in a breath.

“Right,” she nodded a little, “I figured it was a harmless flavor since I’m pretty sure you’re not a vegetarian.”

“No, I’m not,” he said with a small smile. 

“Good,” she relaxed a little as she pulled a chair and sat down, “what have you been up to?”

“Not much,” he said honestly, sitting down across from her and taking a sip of his water. He set the glass down, looking over at her for a moment. “Lois came by earlier.” 

“Oh,” she cocked her head a little, looking at him, “how did that go?”

“It was...brief.” Oliver chewed the inside of his cheek. “I told her. Not the details, but...” He looked down.

“You did?” She asked, forcing herself to act surprised.

He nodded slightly, not looking up at her. 

“That’s-- good, Oliver.” She nodded, “you and Lois have known each other for a while, it will be good for you to have her support.” Chloe told him, even as her stomach tightened slightly.

“I don’t know,” he murmured. “I think she was pretty freaked out.” 

She had noticed that too, over the video, but she knew her cousin really well so she had hoped Oliver wouldn’t have noticed, “she always gets freaked out, she will just need a few deep breaths and she’ll be okay.”

He glanced at her, a doubtful expression on his face. “Maybe.”

“And either way, I’ll be around,” she offered with a soft smile as she reached for a slice of pizza.

“Why aren’t _you_ freaked out, Chloe?” His voice was soft.

“Because I saw what happened, Oliver,” she took a deep breath and settled back against the chair, “maybe I just lived in Smallville too long and saw too many things like this happen but, I know you’re a good guy and you would never do something like that on purpose, that’s enough for me.”

His chest tightened as she spoke and he swallowed hard, dropping his gaze once more.

Chloe cocked her head and watched him for a long moment then took a bite of her pizza but remained silent, giving him time.

After a long moment, he reached out and picked up a piece of pizza for himself, taking a small bite and meeting her gaze. He chewed and swallowed, then took a drink. “Thank you.” His voice was very quiet once more.

“You’re welcome,” she said, eyes still on him, “how are your ribs?”

“Sore,” he confessed. “But I haven’t been moving around or doing very much the last couple days.” 

“That’s good,” she nodded, “but you should move around at least a little so you don’t get too stiff.”

Nodding, he took another bite of pizza, chewing and glancing at her again.

“We can go for a walk after we eat, if you want to,” she offered as casually as she could.

He was silent for a long moment. “Yeah. Okay.” 

She blinked, surprised at his agreement, but nodded a little then took another bite of her pizza to stop herself from saying anything that would cause him to change his mind.

They ate in silence that he found surprisingly comfortable, and not at all awkward as he’d thought it might be. When he was finally full, he sat back in his seat, sipping his water and watching her as she finished, too. 

“I definitely need to walk,” she said, smiling a little at him, “too much food.”

He smiled back faintly, nodding. “Yeah, definitely.” He rose to his feet slowly and picked up the half-empty pizza box, closing it up and sliding it onto the top shelf of his fridge. 

“Where do you wanna go?” She asked, standing up too.

“Nowhere specific. We can just walk,” he suggested, looking uncertain. 

“That works,” she nodded a little, picking up both glasses and taking them to the sink.

He drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “Okay.” 

“Have you heard from the boys?” She asked, starting toward the elevator.

Guilt flickered over his face and he swallowed hard. “Sort of.” 

“Oh?” She asked curiously, even though she already knew what he was going to say. 

“Voicemails.” He chewed the inside of his cheek.

“Oh,” she nodded a little, “I’m sure they think you’re just busy.”

“I’m not ready to talk to them yet,” he said very quietly. 

“That’s okay, Ollie,” she said quietly, pulling the gate for the elevators open. “I can tell them you are busy if you want me to.”

“I don’t know _what_ to tell them,” he admitted, his chest tightening as he stepped onto the elevator with her.

“You don’t _have_ to tell them anything,” she said quietly, “but you _could_ tell them that something happened and you don’t want to talk about it but you need a break for the time being.” 

Oliver looked uncertain, rubbing the back of his neck. “Maybe,” he said softly.

“You don’t have to make any decisions now,” she told him, “but something tells me they will start to worry more.”

“You don’t think me telling them I’m done with the whole Green Arrow thing is going to worry them?” 

Chloe stilled at that and arched her eyebrows, “I thought you were waiting to decide on that?”

He looked down for a moment, not answering.

Her chest tightened and she pursed her lips together, “maybe you should at least wait to make that official.” 

Oliver let out a breath. “Yeah, maybe.” 

“Please?” She asked, arching her eyebrows a little.

He held his breath at her soft plea. “I’ll think about it,” he whispered.

“Thank you.” She smiled a little. As long as he didn’t make a decision for now, she hoped she could talk him out of this.

* * * 

For all that she’d done for him in the past few days, it dawned on Oliver as he and Chloe walked around downtown Metropolis that evening that he really didn’t know very much about her. “So, what’s your favorite movie?” 

“Oh, tricky question,” she pursed her lips together, thinking about it for a moment, “I think Kill Bill is one of my favorites. Although I don’t like it as much as Lois does. Yours?”

A wry smile touched his mouth and he glanced at her sideways. “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” he said with a slight shrug.

“Of course,” she grinned softly, “should have guessed.”

“I’m a little predictable,” he said.

“It’s a good movie,” she smiled at him. 

He smiled faintly, glancing at her sideways. “What about music?” 

“I don’t listen to a lot of music,” she admitted, “usually just whatever is on the radio and I listen to the more... rock-type stations. You? And please don’t say Country.” 

Oliver chuckled at that. “No, definitely not. Not my thing.” 

“Good, it’s all most people in Smallville would listen to,” she told him, smiling, it was good that he was at least a little more relaxed, “so what do you listen to?”

“Just about anything. I like rock, but I like jazz and R&B and instrumental too.” 

“That’s good,” she nodded, “much better tastes.”

He glanced at her again, pursing his lips. “So you grew up in Smallville?” 

“Kind of?” She glanced up at him, “dad and I moved there when I was twelve.” 

“Oh. So where are you from originally?” 

“Here,” she smiled and looked around for a moment then pointed, “about... ten blocks that way.” 

He followed her finger, raising his eyebrows. “Oh. Wow. I didn’t realize you were actually born in Metropolis,” he told her. 

“Yep, at MetGen,” she told him, “I didn’t really want to leave, but dad had to for his job.”

Oliver nodded slightly, turning to look at her once more. “I bet it was difficult to go from living in a big city to a little town.” 

‘Yeah, especially since Lois stayed,” she shrugged, “but eventually I met Clark and Pete and it got better.”

He was silent for a moment as they walked along, glancing at the windows to the little shops that had already closed for the night. “How did you and Clark end up friends?” 

“I met him on my first day at school,” she told him, “we had math together and he said he lived on a farm so I made him take me there to see it, because I had never been on a farm before and I was sure he was Amish.” She smirked. 

He couldn’t help but grin at that. “Yeah, I can picture that in my head, actually.” 

She grinned softly and nodded, “and then Mrs. Kent offered me apple pie and I just didn’t stop coming by.”

Oliver glanced at her sideways, not surprised by that, either. He had a feeling that once Chloe Sullivan put her mind to something, not much could discourage her. “I’ve heard the apple pie is pretty amazing.” 

“It really is, you’ll need to come by the farm sometime without Bart, so you can actually try it.” She smirked, looking up at him.

“Well, Mrs. Kent’s not around much these days, is she?” His eyebrows furrowed a little. 

“No, not really.” She shrugged, “I guess if we are ever in DC, then.” She smiled. 

He nodded a little. He was pretty sure that _him_ seeing Mrs. Kent under _any_ circumstances was probably a bad idea, considering how Clark had reacted to him simply showing up in Metropolis. 

“I know you went to boarding school, but have you ever lived anywhere else other than that and Star City? Not counting the Island,” she said, making a face.

“Well, here,” he said with a small smile. “Which after Star City, is by far my favorite.” There was the barest hint of teasing in his tone. 

“Well, great. At least Metropolis ranks above the island where you were poisoned,” she smirked. 

He smirked at her, raising his eyebrows. “And boarding school.” 

“I think even the island would rank above that, no?” She asked, cocking her head.

“Just barely.” 

“I guess that’s something.” She smiled, “do you miss Star City?”

“No, not really.” He pursed his lips. 

“Metropolis is better anyway,” she said, quickly trying to change the subject, “even with our lack of beaches.” 

“It’s not as quiet as Star City,” he agreed, going along with the subject change, mostly to keep her from being uncomfortable. 

Chloe nodded too, “I guess not, especially this part of the city.”

“No,” he agreed. “The distraction’s kinda nice.” 

She looked over at him for a moment then nodded, “I like it too,” she admitted, “I have been staying at Isis instead of going back to Smallville and it’s weird how even after all this time, the traffic noises are still kinda soothing.”

Oliver paused at that, glancing at her again, surprised. “Is there even a bed at Isis to sleep in?” he asked, shaking his head a little. 

“There’s a really big couch,” she told him, arching her eyebrows.

“Not quite the same thing,” he pointed out.

“It’s comfortable,” she told him, shrugging, “and saves me about 5 hours a days.”

He chewed the inside of his cheek, nodding a little silently.

“What?” She asked.

“Just thinking,” he said softly.

“About?” She arched her eyebrows.

“What a long trip it is for you to go back and forth from Smallville to here,” he admitted. 

“Yeah, I got used to it, but it’s good to have the option to stay.” Besides she had to stay there to keep an eye on him.

“There’s not even a kitchen, though.” 

“I never cook,” she told him.

“Because you don’t like to, or for the same reason Lois doesn’t cook?” 

“It’s genetic,” she smiled, arching her eyebrows.

Oliver smiled faintly, glancing at her sideways. “I see.” 

“She told me you’re a great cook, though,” Chloe mentioned, glancing over at him again.

“Oh. Well, it’s been awhile since I’ve really done that, but...” He shrugged his shoulder. “I think I’m all right.” 

She nodded slightly, “from what I heard, more than all right, but Lois might have been biased at the time.”

“Maybe you should find out for yourself.” He surprised himself even as he surprised her with his words.

Chloe turned to look at him, surprised, “is that an offer?”

He paused, meeting her gaze and holding it. “Yeah, I suppose it is.” He smiled a little. 

She grinned at that and nodded, “tell me what you need and I can get it, so all you need to do is cook.”

“Do you like Italian?” He raised his eyebrows a little. 

“Yeah, what kind?” She asked, cocking her head.

“Lasagna?” 

“Yes,” Chloe grinned, arching her eyebrows, “I definitely like that.”

He considered her for a moment, a small smile touching his mouth as he looked down. “Cool.” 

“Just let me know when,” she smiled, looking up at him.

“How about tomorrow?” His voice was quiet. 

“I can do that,” she nodded, arching her eyebrows, “can you email me a grocery list when we get back?

“What if...” He hesitated, glancing up at her once more. “You just came back with me?” 

“To the clocktower?” She asked, a little confused.

“Yeah.” He nodded a little. “We can go to the store and head back.” 

“Oh,” she considered then nodded a little, “okay, we can do that.”

“Yeah?” He raised his eyebrows a little.

“Yeah, it’s probably easier for you to figure out what to get anyway,” she smiled.

“And then I can fix it for dinner tomorrow, since we just had pizza.” 

“Yep,” she nodded, “and I can come by early tomorrow if you need help, although I don’t know how much help I will actually be.”

Oliver paused, pursing his lips for a moment. “I was thinking you could stay over.” 

“Oh,” her eyes widened a little as she looked over at him, “you were?”

He slid his hands into his coat pockets, nodding a little. “Yeah. You know, instead of sleeping on the couch at Isis.” 

“Right,” she pursed her lips together, “I really don’t mind the couch.”

His smile slipped and he looked down. “Yeah. Okay.” 

“I don’t want to intrude on your space, Ollie.” She added quickly when she saw the look on his face. Now that she knew what he meant, she felt like she should say yes just so he’d have company.

He shrugged a little. “It’s fine,” he told her, forcing a smile. “We should probably start heading back. It’s getting late.” 

“Yeah,” she agreed quietly, smiling a little up at him.

Nodding, he turned to head back in the direction of the clock tower, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly.

“I thought we were going to the store?” She asked, cocking her head as she looked over at him.

“I can just go tomorrow,” he told her.

“I can go, Ollie,” she sighed softly, “and I’m sorry, I didn’t want to hurt your feelings or anything.”

“You didn’t,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m just...tired.” 

Chloe took a deep breath and nodded a little, “okay, let’s get you back then.”

Nodding, as well, he started down the sidewalk back toward the clock tower.

She watched him for a moment before following him. Even though her first instinct was always to keep people at arm’s length, she would have to be more careful not to do that to him.


	7. Chapter 7

Before her dinner with Oliver, Chloe had decided to sneak her way into the Planet. She had been there for a while now, researching to make sure nothing had come out about the woman he had accidentally killed. And while she could have done most of this research from Isis, she didn’t have access to the Planet’s offline archive from there, or the open investigations reporters might have on file. So she knew this was necessary. 

Except, she had been so focused on her research, she completely lost track of time, it wasn’t until half an hour _after_ she was supposed to be getting to the Clocktower that she realized she was late. And she hated being late. 

She shut down the computer she’d been using in the archive room as quickly as possible, then used the sleeve of her shirt to wipe her fingerprints from both the keyboard and the mouse before running to the door and to the elevator, she’d have to apologize to him and use her walk there to think of ways to explain why she was late.

* * *

When forty-five minutes passed without a word from Chloe, he began putting away the lasagna and garlic bread he’d made. He put the bottle of wine back in the fridge, as well, his shoulders slumped. Maybe she’d realized he really _was_ a lost cause after all. Which made sense. Everyone else already did. And if they didn’t, they should, because it was true. 

He pulled open the cabinet beneath the sink and stared hard at the bottle of whiskey, then pulled it out and set it on the counter, pausing when he heard his cell phone ringing. He chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment, then rubbed a hand over his face, reaching out to pick it up. He held his breath for a second when he saw the name flashing on Caller ID. Sullivan, Chloe. 

Maybe she was just running late, after all. 

He reached out and picked up the phone. “Hello?” 

“Oliver?” She said, a little relieved when he picked up just as she got into the elevator, “I’m so sorry I’m late, I’ve been researching and I lost track of time, I’m on my way.”

Oliver paused, relaxing a little at her words. “Oh. I was just...putting things up. I’ll put it back out though.” 

Chloe winced at that, “I’m really sorry, I should have set a reminder on my phone.” She told him as she reached inside her purse, searching for her keys.

“It’s okay, Chloe,” he assured her, a small smile touching his mouth. “You were working. It’s not like you were blowing me off for a better dinner offer.” 

“No, definitely not. I’m looking forward to it.” She said sincerely then frowned, pausing when she felt something unfamiliar inside her purse and reached for it, pulling it out slowly.

“All right. Well, I’ll just slide the lasagna and bread back in the stove. It should be warm enough to eat by the time you get here.” 

“Okay,” she said quietly, staring down at the device then gasping when the elevator suddenly jerked to a stop and the lights went off completely for a moment before the emergency lights came back on.

His eyebrows furrowed a little. “Chloe?” 

She blinked and looked up and around, “something’s wrong,” she told him, putting him on speaker as she used her phone as a flashlight to take a better look at the device.

“What do you mean? What’s wrong?” His body tensed a little at the barest hint of fear in her voice. 

“The elevator just stopped,” she told him, holding her breath for a moment, “and there was something in my purse,” she added the last part in a lower voice, swallowing hard as she turned the device over, her stomach dropping.

His eyebrows furrowed even more at that. “Something like what?” 

“I think it’s a bomb,” she whispered, looking closely at the small countdown screen on the side of the box.

“ _What?_ ” He took a step forward, his eyes widening. “Where are you?” 

“At the Planet,” she told him, looking up, “somewhere between the basement and the ground floor.”

“Christ. All right, is there a timer?” He grabbed his keys off the counter and moved toward the elevator. 

“Less than eight minutes now,” she told him, straightening.

“Hang tight. I’m gonna call Clark.” 

“No,” she shook her head, her heart racing, “it’s made out of Kryptonite.”

His chest tightened. “Oh, what the _hell_ ,” he whispered, hitting the down button on his elevator and holding his breath. “Okay, I’m on my way.” 

“I don’t see any kind of openings on the box,” she told him, shaking her head, “there is no way to diffuse it.”

He forced himself to take a deep breath. “Can you set it down? Very carefully?” 

She nodded, lowering to the floor slowly and kneeling down before placing it on the floor of the elevator, “what are we going to do with it?”

“Don’t worry about the box. I need you to look up at the ceiling of the elevator.” As soon as his elevator stopped, he yanked the door up and hurried to his car, unlocking it and climbing inside, starting the engine without hesitation. 

Chloe blinked a couple of times and looked up, “I can’t just leave it here, Oliver.”

“Chloe, listen to me.” His voice was tense as he pressed his foot to the gas pedal. “The building is empty, right? Other than you?” 

“Yeah,” she nodded, “it was already locked for the night when I came in,” she told him, swallowing hard and closing her eyes.

“Then the most important part is getting you the hell out of there. Now please look up at the elevator ceiling and tell me what you see.” 

“Paneling,” she told him, taking a deep breath, “four of them.”

“Paneling, that’s good. Okay.” His fingers tightened around the steering wheel as he yanked the car into a parking space in front of the building and climbed out, moving to his trunk. “Chloe, is there an access code to get into the Planet?” 

“Which way are you coming?” She asked, pursing her lips together.

“The front door.” 

“You can’t, I used my copy of Lois’ pass to get in, you need to use the roof.” She said, closing her eyes again, “you can’t break in without all the alarms going off and we can’t let anyone else anywhere near this building.”

“Fuck,” he uttered. “And the door on the roof is unalarmed?” 

“No, but the code is 4226.” Chloe told him, looking up at the ceiling again.

“All right. What’s the timer saying?” His heart began to pound even faster in his chest as he grabbed his bow and quiver. 

She looked back down and her stomach turned, “three minutes.” 

“Hang on, Chloe. I’m coming to get you.” He didn’t even bother looking around to see if anyone was watching before firing the anchor line upwards and he held his breath as he was propelled upwards seconds later. He landed on the roof, retrieved the grapple, and ran to the door, pressing in the code she’d given him. “Where’s the elevator from here?” He didn’t have time to search the corridors. 

“The corridor in front of the door, take it until the first right and you will face the elevators. I’m on the left one as you are facing them.”

He moved quickly to the elevators, pressing the button for the right one and climbing onto it as soon as the doors opened. He hung up his phone, tucking it into his pocket and pressing the down button. As soon as the elevator descended down to the next floor, he hoisted himself up through the roof of it and looked over at the cable of the elevator. It wasn’t a far jump, not as far as what he was used to, and he leaped and hissed as he slid down the cable toward the other elevator, the one she was in.

She kept looking between the ceiling and the bomb, checking on the timer and it was less than two minutes now, her heart was beating faster and faster as she waited, feeling completely useless since she couldn’t even remove the paneling herself.

A second later it was removed for her. “Give me your hands,” he said, reaching down toward her, glancing at the bomb.

She pulled her purse over her shoulder then lifted her hands toward him, “fifty seconds,” she breathed, her eyes wide.

He grabbed her hands easily, tugging her up and toward him without much effort until she was on top of the elevator car with him. “Put your arms around my neck and hold on.” He wound one arm around her, aiming at the open elevator shaft at the top floor.

Chloe wrapped her arms around his neck tightly and held on to him even as she lifted her head to look at him for a moment and then looked down again to check on the bomb.

He fired the grapple, his grip tightening on her a little as they were propelled upwards quickly, away from the bomb and the elevator that contained it. 

She turned her head toward his chest as they went up, closing her eyes tightly until they stopped, then looking up at him again, “what now?”

“Now we pray,” he muttered, grabbing her hand and yanking her toward the stairs that led to the roof. 

“Wait!” She said and without thinking about it, punched the glass of a fire alarm by the roof door with her bare hand, but she wasn’t paying attention to it, she pulled him outside a moment later, “hurry!”

“Do you trust me?” he asked, urgency in his voice. 

Chloe blinked in surprise and looked up at him for a second then nodded, “one hundred percent.” She said sincerely.

“Then climb on my back,” he told her, his jaw tightening a little. “And hold on.” 

She stared at him for a second then jumped on his back, not surprised at how easily he caught her, “we don’t have much time.”

“I know,” he said grimly, moving to stand up on the ledge of the roof. “Hold on _tight_.” 

She did, taking a deep breath and nodding, “go.”

Without saying a word, he jumped just as a loud explosion rocked the building.


	8. Chapter 8

Oliver slowly rolled up the gate on his elevator at the clock tower and glanced sideways at Chloe, raising his eyebrows a little as he waited for her to step inside the apartment. She’d been incredibly silent during the short drive from the Planet to his place, and he wasn’t sure if she was in shock or not. He had no idea what was going on in her head, and it occurred to him that that bothered him. When she made no move to leave the elevator, he reached out and rested his hand at the small of her back. 

She looked over at him and took a deep breath then let it out slowly before stepping out of the elevator and into the Clocktower.

“Are you all right?” 

“Yeah,” she nodded, looking over at him again, “thank you.”

He pursed his lips, raising his eyebrows. “Sure,” he said quietly. 

She looked up at him for a moment then walked over to the windows, gasping quietly when she saw the Planet was now in flames.

He rubbed a hand over his face, then slowly followed her to the balcony, not surprised by the sight. One more he rested his hand at the small of her back, more as an attempt at comfort than anything else. 

“I hope it really was empty,” she told him, looking up at him.

His chest tightened at that, and he looked down, remaining silent.

“Are you okay?” She asked, turning to face him completely.

“I’m fine,” he told her, ignoring the pain in his ribs. 

“I need to call Clark,” she said quietly, “tell him he can’t go anywhere near it.”

“Yeah, probably a good idea,” he agreed, nodding. “I’ll get Bart on it.” 

“Thank you,” she nodded, reaching for her phone inside her purse.

He watched her for a moment longer, then rubbed his hands over his face as he made his way down the hall to put his gear away and call Bart.

She spoke with Clark quickly, not giving him details but telling him he needed to stay away from the area, when he agreed, she hung up and took a couple of steps toward where Oliver was but didn’t enter his secret room, wanting to give him some space.

He stepped out a few moments later. “He’s on it,” he said, his voice tired. “Are you _sure_ you’re okay?” 

“Yeah,” she nodded, looking up at him, “I should get back to Isis, figure out what happened.”

“Maybe you should just try to do that from here.” 

“I have better equipment there,” she told him, looking up at him, “I need to figure who put it there, especially if they knew I was going to ask Clark to come help me.”

“I can give you about three guesses who it was,” he told her, meeting her eyes.

“You think it was Lex?” She asked, holding his gaze.

Oliver pursed his lips, nodding ever-so-slightly. “Who else would want _you_ dead _and_ have a pretty good hunch about Clark’s abilities and the one thing that would keep him from helping you?” 

“Why would he want me dead if not to set a bait for Clark?” She asked, “if he wanted me to call Clark, he wouldn’t have left the kryptonite exposed.”

“Unless he wanted you both out of his way.” 

“Maybe,” she took a deep breath, “or maybe the kryptonite was a coincidence.”

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past few years, it’s that there’s no such thing as a coincidence,” he told her.

Chloe sighed softly and nodded, “which is why we need to be sure.”

“I just don’t think you leaving and going off by yourself right after someone tried to _blow you up_ is a great idea.” 

“They are not going to try anything else now, they probably don’t even know their initial plan didn’t work,” she pointed out.

“You don’t know that,” he argued, shaking his head. 

Chloe took a deep breath, “Okay, I can go there, open the links to the Clocktower and come back, you contact the rest of the team since they might be in danger too.”

He had a feeling that was the best solution he was going to get from her, but he still didn’t like it. “All right. Be _careful_. Take my car.” He fished his keys out of his pocket and dangled them in front of her.

“I won’t be long,” she promised as she took the keys, surprised he had agreed to it, but also relieved that he hadn’t argued with her about contacting the boys. 

“Text me or call me as soon as you get there,” he said seriously, gazing at her.

“I will,” she nodded, looking up at him, “and I will keep my phone with me.”

“I don’t like this,” Oliver said honestly.

“I won’t be long,” she promised, holding his gaze, “and I’ll be okay.”

“I’m holding you to that.” 

“I’ll be back for the lasagna I was promised,” she smiled slightly before turning around and starting toward the elevator.

A faint smile touched his mouth, as well and he rubbed a hand over his face. It was turning out to be a very, very long night.

* * *

Clark waited until Chloe had left and made his way in, when she wouldn’t tell him where she was, he guessed she was with Oliver and he knew _he_ was why she hadn’t been at Isis or at the Talon lately and now she was keeping things from him and he wanted to find out _why_.

He took the elevator to the top floor and waited impatiently, shifting from foot to foot as it made its way to the top floor.

Oliver was more than a little surprised to hear the elevator returning so quickly after Chloe left, even as he hung up from leaving Victor a voicemail to call him. His chest tightened a little when he saw it was Clark raising the gate and he sighed inwardly. 

“Oliv-” Clark started then paused when he saw the other man standing there, “what happened at the Planet?”

“It blew up,” he said, raising his eyebrows a little.

“Who planted the bomb?” He asked, stepping further inside the apartment.

“I don’t know for sure,” he said truthfully. “But my money’s on Lex.” 

“How did you find out about it?” Clark asked, eyes narrowing.

“Chloe called me when she got trapped in the elevator.” 

He paused at that, “which elevator?”

He cocked his head to the side. “At the Planet.” 

“Chloe was _in_ there? With the bomb?” Clark asked, his eyes widening now.

Oliver paused. “She didn’t tell you that?” There was a hint of uncertainty in his voice. 

“No!” Clark told him, “what was she doing in there? How did she find out about the bomb?”

Crap. He wished he’d known exactly what Chloe had and hadn’t told Clark, because apparently he was now stuck in the middle of a conflict he didn’t even know about. It wasn’t like Chloe talked about Clark that much, when she talked about something besides his life and problems at all. He pursed his lips. “I don’t know what she was doing there. I didn’t think to ask.” He wasn’t exactly looking forward to telling the younger man about the bomb being _in_ Chloe’s possession, either. “You want something to drink?” 

“Why did she call you?” He pressed, ignoring his question.

“Because the bomb was packed in Kryptonite, Clark.” 

“She at least told me _that_ much, but why didn’t she call Bart? Or someone else?”

“Maybe she did try to call Bart, I couldn’t tell you.” 

“Where is she?” Clark asked, eyes narrowing once more.

“She went to Isis to sync up the computers to the ones here so we can try and figure out what happened.” 

He considered that for a moment, “what are you doing to her?”

“Excuse me?” This time, Oliver’s eyes narrowed and he stared at Clark like he’d never seen him before. 

“Chloe _never_ kept things from me before, since you showed back up, she’s barely speaking to me, what are you doing?”

His jaw tightened ever-so-slightly. “Clark, I’m sorry if the lines of communication between you and Chloe have gotten crossed, but don’t try and put me in the middle of it. I haven’t done _anything_ to her.” 

“So she hasn’t been spending time with you?” He pushed.

“Spending time with someone doesn’t mean you’re hurting them, Clark,” he informed him.

“You’re hurting her if you’re making her stay away from me.”

“Are you on something?” he asked, shaking his head.

“No,” he frowned, “are you?”

“No,” Oliver responded. 

“Why is she lying to me then?” He asked, “it has to be your influence because Chloe would never do that.”

“Okay, first of all, there’s a difference between lying to you and not telling you things. Secondly, Chloe’s her own person. If she’s not telling you things, maybe you should be asking _her_ about them instead of me.” His voice was flat.

“I warned you when you came back and I warned you when you tried to drag Chloe into your missions, Oliver. She better not get hurt because of you.” 

“Enough, Clark.” Chloe said, her eyes narrowed as she pushed the gates to the elevator open. She had barely stepped foot into Isis when she heard Clark getting to Oliver’s through the surveillance. 

Oliver looked past the other man to her, a little startled. He hadn’t even heard the elevator. He folded his arms across his chest as he glanced back at Clark once more. “I need a drink,” he muttered, turning and heading into the kitchen. 

Chloe watched Oliver as he walked away then looked back at Clark, “if you were so concerned about what happened why didn’t you come talk to _me_?”

“Because you weren’t telling me everything, Chloe. I thought Oliver might be a little more open about it.” 

“I told you what you needed to know until I have answers,” she told him, “I didn’t want you to freak out because I was involved, especially when I’m okay.”

“I can help you figure it out, Chloe. I thought we were a team.” There was hurt in his voice. “Instead you’re keeping things from me and telling Oliver everything now?” 

“I’m not keeping things from you,” she said calmly, “and I planned on asking you for your help once I had a better idea of what was happening, but that doesn’t give you the right to come in here and yell at Oliver like that over something that was _my_ choice.”

Clark’s eyes narrowed a little and his gaze flickered toward the kitchen. “You need to stay away from him, Chloe,” he said, his voice dropping. “Bad things tend to follow him around. He has a lot of baggage.” 

“We _all_ have a lot of baggage, Clark, and Oliver is my friend too, he saved my life tonight.” She said, eyes narrowing slightly once more.

He paused at that, looking away guiltily for a moment. “I’m glad you’re all right.” 

“Thank you,” she nodded, “me too. And I will let you know once I have more information about what happened but for now, you should stay in Smallville, it will be safer.”

“I can’t just sit around waiting for you and Oliver to figure it out,” he said, shaking his head. “This is my city.” 

“It is mine too and for all we know, you were the intended target for that bomb.”

“Sounds like you were bait to me,” he said, frowning deeply at her. “Which means it’s my responsibility to figure out what’s going on, and who’s behind it.” 

“If you had been involved, neither one of us would have made it out alive,” she reminded him, “so I think it might be better if you step back on this one for now.”

He looked at her, mouth slightly agape. 

“I will let you know as soon as I know more,” she promised. Normally she would take his help but she was not happy with what he had told Oliver and besides, she felt like it might help Oliver get back into his Green Arrow uniform if he was involved in this.

“Fine,” he said, not sounding happy. “You and Oliver deal with it.” Without waiting for a response, he supersped away.

Chloe sighed deeply and shook her head before making her way over to the kitchen, “Oliver?”

He’d already downed half a glass of whiskey by the time she made it into the kitchen. He’d slid the lasagna and garlic bread back in the oven. “Yeah.” 

She winced when she saw the glass in his hand, “I’m really sorry about that.”

“It’s not your fault,” he told her with a shrug, setting the glass down on the counter. 

“He had no right to come in here and say those things to you,” she said quietly, “especially not after what you just did.”

“Yeah, well. Me human. Clark Kryptonian.” He smirked a little and set the timer on the oven.

“Doesn’t make you any less of a hero,” she said, expression still serious.

“I was making a joke,” he told her, shifting a little from one foot to the other. 

“I know, but I was telling you the truth,” she said, holding his gaze.

Oliver drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “Clark’s always been a little possessive and protective when it comes to you and Lois.” 

“Yeah,” she agreed, “even when he has no reason to be.” 

“I don’t know. I think he’s just scared of losing the people who mean the most to him. I get that.” 

“Lois and I don’t mean the most to him, Oliver,” she shrugged slightly.

He gave her a look. “And his mom and Lana.” 

“I love Clark,” she told him, “but sometimes he can be just... too narrow-minded and that’s when I rather have him step away.”

Oliver was silent for a moment, leaning against the counter as he gazed at her. “He’s trying to look out for you.” His voice dropped just a little. 

“I know that, but I don’t need to be protected from you.” She arched her eyebrows, “and neither does Lois.”

He looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. “If you say so.” 

Chloe sighed at that and lifted a hand to his arm, “I know so.”

He met her eyes once more, holding his breath for a long moment, and nodding ever-so-slightly before lowering his gaze to the floor. “I would never intentionally hurt you,” he admitted.

“I know that,” she frowned a little, squeezing his arm lightly as he looked down,“and you did save my life tonight, Oliver. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.”

“You scared the hell out of me,” he told her seriously, meeting her eyes once more.

She held her breath at his sincerity and pursed her lips together, “I’m sorry,” she said quietly, “I was pretty scared myself.”

“I know,” he murmured, nodding a little and hesitating a second before sliding his arms around her.

Chloe hesitated for just a second then wrapped her arms around him too, closing her eyes. 

He exhaled slowly, holding her close. “I’m really glad you’re all right,” he whispered.

“Thank you,” she said quietly, hesitating before leaning her cheek against his chest. “Thank you for coming.”

His arms tightened around her just a little. “You’re welcome,” he said just as quietly.

“I’m really sorry I was late earlier,” she told him quietly, pulling away reluctantly and looking up at him.

Oliver met her eyes, nodding. “I know. It’s okay. All that matters is that you’re all right.” 

She searched his eyes for a moment then nodded a little, “how did it feel for you?” She asked quietly, “being out there again.”

He considered that for a moment. “Honestly, everything happened so fast, I didn’t have time to really think about it.” 

“But it felt right, didn’t it?” She murmured, holding his gaze.

Holding his breath for a moment, he shut his eyes, nodding reluctantly. “I didn’t even stop to think. I just...reacted.”

Chloe smiled softly at that and nodded a little, “because it’s who you _are_.” She whispered.

Oliver opened his eyes once more, gazing at her silently, throat tightening.

“How are you feeling?” She asked quietly, searching his eyes.

He pursed his lips, and raised his eyebrows. “Hungry,” he said, with humor in his voice. 

She held her breath for a moment then nodded a little, “fair enough.”

“What about you?” 

“Hungry too,” she admitted, smiling a little.

“The food’s heating up. Hopefully we can remedy that soon.” 

“It smells really good,” she told him, holding her breath.

“Well, hopefully it’ll taste as good as it smells,” he told her.

“I’m sure it will,” she smiled at him, “while we wait, do you mind if I...” she waved her hand at his computer.

“No, go ahead. Be my guest.” 

“Thank you,” she smiled at him a little more then made her way over to the computer. 

He watched her for a moment, chewing the inside of his cheek and then glancing at the oven, feeling vaguely unsettled. 

She glanced over at him once more, just in time to see him looking away then taking a deep breath. She just wanted answers as fast as possible.


	9. Chapter 9

Chloe let out a breath as she leaned back against her chair, rubbing a hand over her face tiredly as she rewound the footage once more, zoomed in and watched it again. Squinting as she tried to see someone, anyone approaching her from the time she got into the Planet. But she was missing a chunk of footage and she could only guess that wasn’t a coincidence. 

Oliver stood a few feet away, leaning against the wall, watching her. “You should sleep.” 

She blinked, surprised that he was still standing there, “hey.” 

He managed a small smile. “Didn’t mean to scare you.” 

“You didn’t,” she shook her head a little, “just... didn’t realize you were here.”

Oliver was silent for a moment. “You’ve been at this for hours, Chloe. You should get some rest,” he said.

“I still didn’t make any progress,” she sighed, shaking her head again and rubbing her hands over her face. “They’re good.”

“We’ll figure it out. After you’ve slept.” He moved so he was standing behind her, resting his hands lightly on her shoulders. “Come on.” 

She arched her eyebrows and lifted her head to look at him, sighing deeply and nodding, “I guess.”

He smiled faintly, nodding and motioning for her to stand up. “Come on.” 

Chloe stretched slowly and stood up, looking over at him, “did you get any rest already?” She asked. 

“Enough,” he told her, nodding. 

She cocked her head slightly, “how much is enough?”

“A couple hours.” A small smile touched his mouth. “Stop worrying. I’m all right.” 

“If you’re making me rest, you have to do the same,” she arched her eyebrows, “it’s only fair.” 

“Is that how this works?” There was a hint of amusement in his tone.

“It’d be extremely hypocritical otherwise.” She smirked.

“I suppose so.” He arched an eyebrow. 

“Do we have a deal?” She asked, watching him. 

He held his hand out wordlessly.

She smiled softly at that and took his hand, shaking it lightly then nodding, “good.”

He smiled back, nodding, as well. “I’ll show you to the guest room.” 

“Thank you,” she told him, “and thank you for letting me stay.”

“Not a problem,” he assured her. 

“Even though it’s putting you in a lot more danger than you should be?” She asked quietly, holding his gaze.

He raised his eyebrows at that. “This place is pretty secure,” he told her.’

“So is the Planet,” she said, holding his gaze.

“Not as secure as here.” 

“No, probably not. Especially if Lex is behind this.” She agreed.

“If you wanted to call Clark to go somewhere safer, I’d understand.” 

Chloe frowned at that and shook her head, “I don’t feel unsafe with you, Oliver.”

He gazed at her, searching her eyes, then nodding. “Okay.” He offered her his arm and then led her toward the hallway.

She smiled softly at him then took his arm, “did I thank you already?”

“You did. Completely unnecessarily, by the way,” he said quietly, glancing at her sideways.

“Maybe for you, but not only did you save my life, you also fed me and gave me a place to stay.” She smiled.

“Yeah, well.” He drew in a breath and turned to face her, his eyes filled with warmth. “I’m sort of fond of you.” 

Her face softened at that and she nodded slowly, “ditto.”

He held his breath for a moment, then nodded, reaching inside the room they were standing outside of and flipping on the light. “This is one of the guest rooms.” 

Chloe stepped inside, letting go of his arm as her eyes widened, “woah.”

He raised his eyebrows a little and almost chuckled at the expression on her face. “The guys don’t use this one, so it’s yours.” 

“Mine?” She asked, cocking her head, “what do you mean?”

“To use whenever.” He shrugged.

“Really?” She asked before she could stop herself, “you have that many rooms here? That are this big?”

“Yeah. It’s a lot bigger than it looks,” he told her, leaning against the doorframe and grinning involuntarily.

“Apparently, how big is _your_ room?”

“Comfortably large.” 

“As in, I could fit your entire apartment in there, comfortably large?” She smirked.

“Something like that.” He winked at her. “The bathroom’s right through there,” he told her, pointing.

“And a bathroom,” she nodded, “I might take you up on your offer when I’m looking for a spa stay,” she teased.

He smirked a little. “If you’re looking for a spa stay, you should just come visit me in Star City sometime. I have a pool _and_ a hot tub.” 

“And I assume that’s just your penthouse,” she smirked more, cocking her head.

“You’re a good guesser.” He smirked back at her.

“You know, for a false playboy, you do it pretty well,” she told him, smiling up at him.

“Who said I was false?” 

“I know you too well to buy that image, Oliver.” She said with a mock eye roll.

He smiled a little at that. “Just because I’m not a _real_ playboy anymore doesn’t mean I can’t live like I am.” 

“Obviously,” she nodded, “nothing wrong with that, you obviously can afford it.”

“But I’m also more than happy to share the resources with my friends.” 

“Which makes you a much better person than every other billionaire I ever heard of.” She said, holding his gaze.

He smiled a bit. “Should I get you some clothes to change into?” 

“Oh,” she blinked a couple of times and looked down at herself, “I didn’t even think about that, I should have grabbed some things at Isis.”

“I’ve got some shirts. They’re kinda big for you, obviously, but you can borrow one.” 

“Thank you, I will go by tomorrow and get my things if I have to stay any longer.” She said quietly, looking up at him.

“You could always keep a few things here anyway, you know. Just in case.” 

“Just in case?” She echoed, searching his eyes.

“You know, if you need a place to crash and you get sick of the sofa at Isis. Or you need to use the equipment here or...you just want some company.”

Chloe held her breath at that and nodded slowly, holding his gaze. She wondered if he meant that he was sticking with Green Arrow, but she didn’t want to ask and make him pull away, “sounds nice.” 

He smiled faintly and looked down. “I’ll just...go grab you a shirt.” He ducked out of the room and headed across the hall to his own bedroom.

“Thanks,” she called after him then walked into the bedroom, looking around for a moment then sitting on the bed and bouncing slightly. If she wasn’t going to get in his way, she’d definitely not mind staying for a long time.

He returned a few moments later, holding an olive green t-shirt. 

Chloe paused and grinned when she saw the shirt, “is that the only color of clothing you own?” She teased.

“Not at all.” He raised his eyebrows and smirked at her, holding it out.

“So you picked it on purpose?” She smiled, cocking her head as she took the shirt.

“It’s possible.” 

She looked at him for a moment then shook her head a little as she stood up, “thanks again, Ollie.” She said quietly.

“You’re welcome,” he said just as quietly, holding her gaze.

“Go get some rest,” she said, smiling softly, “like you promised.”

“You too, Sullivan.” He smiled again, then headed out of the room once more.

“Good night, Queen,” she smiled, watching as he walked out of the room then taking a deep breath and closing the door. Somehow, having him around made her almost forget she had almost been killed just a few hours ago.

* * * 

He was awake bright and early the next morning and lingering in the kitchen by a skillet of pancakes. He flipped them over and pressed a couple of buttons on the coffee maker he’d bought a couple days before, smirking as it began to make coffee. 

She woke up with the unusual noises and once she realized it was just Oliver, probably cooking, she took her time washing her face and making herself somewhat presentable at least before making her way out of the bedroom and slowly down the hallway, her eyes widening at the smell, “there’s coffee?”

“There’s coffee,” he confirmed, a smile tugging at his mouth. “Hazelnut, in fact.” 

“Really?” She gasped, stepping into the kitchen, “but Lois said you didn’t drink coffee.”

He chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment, then turned to face her. “I don’t.” 

“Oh,” she watched him closed, “why do you have some, then? Not that I’m complaining...”

His gaze swept over her involuntarily and he held his breath at the sight of her in his green shirt and her jeans. “I’m not the only one who stays here?” 

“Right,” she nodded a little, smiling softly, “that makes sense,” she said then noticed him looking at the shirt, “I-- hope you don’t mind, I just didn’t want to wear my dirty clothes again. I will make my way to Isis soon and grab some things.”

“No, it’s fine,” he said quickly, offering her a smile. “I’m making pancakes. Do you like pancakes?” 

“I love pancakes,” she admitted, walking closer to him, “it smells amazing.”

“Oh, good. I was hoping you were hungry. I can’t eat all this by myself.” 

“I don’t normally eat breakfast,” she admitted, “but I can’t say no to pancakes.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He smiled a little and reached up into one of the cabinets, grabbing two plates and setting them on the counter.

“Guess I got out of my room just in time,” she said, picking up a mug from the cupboard and making her way to the coffee maker.

“I would have saved you some.” 

“It’s not the same as warm, fresh pancakes.” She glanced over at him, “although with this treatment I’m surprised the guys aren't around more often.”

“Who said the guys get this treatment?” He smirked, raising his eyebrows a little.

“Oh so it’s special for the female members of the team?” She asked, arching her eyebrows.

“It’s special for the Chloe member of the team,” he responded.

Her chest skipped a beat and she looked up at him, her face feeling warm all of the sudden, “oh,” she looked down then back at him, “better than a raise.”

He gave her a genuine smile, his eyes brighter than they had been in weeks. He shuffled some pancakes off the skillet and onto her plate. “Do you like maple syrup or strawberry syrup better?” he asked, moving to open another cabinet.

Chloe just kept her eyes on him for a long moment, “strawberry,” she said quietly.

“Good choice.” He pulled down the bottle of strawberry syrup and set it on the small round table along with the gallon of milk. 

She watched him for a moment longer then took her seat in front of him, with her mug in hand. “You’re quite a host.”

He paused at that and turned to glance at her, shrugging a little. 

Her face softened at his expression and she shrugged too, “you look better today.”’

“Are you trying to tell me I looked bad yesterday?” he teased, raising his eyebrows a little.

“I’m trying to tell you you look less like a kicked puppy today,” she smirked, arching her eyebrows right back at him.

Oliver blinked in surprise, his mouth hanging agape for a few seconds. Then he narrowed his eyes at her. “A kicked _puppy_?” 

“A cute puppy?” She tried. “More like handsome...”

He folded his arms across his chest.

“What? I’m a dog person!” She grinned softly.

“Cute. That’s...very cute.” He glared at her playfully.

Chloe smiled up at him and shrugged a little, “you know what I mean, right?”

“That you think I’m a dog, apparently.” 

“Yep, that’s exactly what I meant, “ she told him with a smirk and a roll of her eyes.

He smirked at her in return. “Eat your pancakes.” 

“Are you ordering me around now?” She asked, amused as she smirked up at him. “You may kind of be my boss, but I’m still allowed to eat when I want. “

He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning. “Someone’s feeling awfully snarky today.” 

“And I haven’t even had coffee yet,” she warned with a smirk then sipped on her coffee.

“Maybe I should start buying decaf.” He smirked back at her and moved to sit down.

Her eyes widened at that and she stared at him, “I can’t believe you just suggested that.”

Oliver chuckled and took a bite of pancake without responding.

Chloe smiled softly at that and poured syrup on her pancakes before taking a bite. 

“You sleep all right?” he asked a few moments later.

“Yeah,” she nodded, glancing over at him, “that bed is amazing, thank you. Did you?”

“Not bad,” he told her with a slight shrug. “And you’re welcome.” 

“More than two hours?” She asked as she turned to look at him. 

“About five,” he told her with a small smile, taking a drink of milk.

Chloe considered that for a moment then nodded, “I guess that’s not too bad.”

“I’d have gotten more but someone attempting to blow up my friends tends to put me on edge.” 

“Right,” Chloe nodded a little, “sorry about that.”

“It’s not like you asked someone to try and blow you up, Chloe. You don’t need to apologize.” 

“No, but I should definitely get back to researching soon...” she said quietly, taking another bite of her pancake.

“After breakfast,” he agreed. “We both will.” 

“You’re helping me?” She asked, searching his eyes. 

Oliver stilled at that, holding his breath for a moment and then slowly sitting back in his chair. “Yeah. I am.” 

“Thank you,” she said sincerely, nodding, “I must have missed something last night.”

“It was a long night,” he reminded her gently.

“Yeah,” she agreed quietly, “but it’s done and now hopefully we will get answers.”

Nodding, he finished off his pancakes and picked up his glass of milk. “We will.”

“Did you hear from the others since last night?” She asked, her voice quieter. 

“Yeah, they’re all on guard,” he assured her, rising to his feet and clearing his dishes from the table. 

“Good,” she nodded slightly, then looked down at her mug once again, “thank you for breakfast,” she said, picking up her own plate.’

“You’re welcome,” he said sincerely. 

Chloe smiled a little then took his plate and started doing the dishes since not only had he cooked for her tonight and the previous night, he had also helped her a lot in the past 24 hours.

“You don’t have to do that.” He raised his eyebrows a little. 

“I do, it’s the least I can do if you’re going to keep feeding me.” She said quietly. 

“I like to cook. It’s not a big deal.” 

“And you are amazing at it so I don’t mind helping.” 

He paused, considering for a moment. “All right. Teamwork, then.” 

She smiled at him and nodded, “that I can agree with.”

“I’m gonna go boot up the computers,” he told her, laying his hand at the small of her back for a second without even thinking about it. 

Chloe blinked and looked up at him, holding his gaze for a moment then nodding, ”okay.”

He offered her a smile and headed out of the kitchen.

She blew out a breath and shook her head to herself slightly, this could definitely get bad before he got better.

* * * 

Oliver sat at his desk, sighing softly as he went over the tape once more. “I still don’t see anything.” 

“Me neither,” she sighed, “there was no one there besides me.”

“Except there had to have been, unless...” He paused, his stomach tightening a little as he looked over at her.

Chloe sat up and arched her eyebrows, holding her breath, “unless the bomb wasn’t planted inside the Planet.” She finished, holding his gaze.

Oliver nodded, rising to his feet. “Do you think you can hack the camera feed from the traffic cam outside?” 

She nodded, taking a deep breath as she turned back toward the computer and started typing as fast as she could.

He moved so he was standing behind her, staring intently at the computer screen. 

She pulled up window after window, bypassing the security and searching for the camera numbers and codes by location, “I didn’t talk to anyone after I left Isis,” she told him, “but I don’t remember if someone came too close to me or something.”

“It may not have even happened outside the planet. It could have been any point after you left here.” 

“You’re right,” she nodded, pursing her lips together, “let's start from the Planet and track back.”

He drew in a breath, nodding, as well. “You walked, right?”

“Yeah,” Chloe nodded again but didn’t take her eyes off of the screen.

“Wait. There.” His eyes widened a little as he pointed to the screen.

She paused the video and stood up, rewinding it, “he bumped into me.”

Oliver held his breath as the man glanced up, almost right at the camera. “Shit,” he whispered.

“I’ll run the facial recognition,” she said, her heart beating fast as she zoomed in on him.

“You don’t need to.” His voice was quiet. “I know who he is.” 

“You do?” She gasped, turning to face him instantly despite how close they were standing.

He met her eyes, his chest tightening. “Yeah. His name is Winslow Schott. And he used to work for me.”


	10. Chapter 10

Oliver paced the length of the floor, more than a little agitated as he moved. “I _knew_ they should’ve kept him locked up longer. What the hell is he even doing in Metropolis in the first place?” 

“I don’t know, Oliver, but you need to calm down,” she said, stepping in front of him to make him stop, “and you need to tell me everything you know about him.”

He forced himself to take a deep breath as he gazed at her, his jaw tightening ever-so-slightly. “The guy’s a genius. I knew it the first time I talked to him, so I hired him on the spot to work at QI in the labs.” He chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment. “Before long, he started bringing toys to work.” He grimaced a little. “It was a little weird, but whatever, right? Except one day he showed up with one that exploded.” 

“He was turning toys into bombs, but how is he connected back to kryptonite and Clark and I? Do you think Lex hired him?” Chloe asked, frowning as she stared up at him.

“I don’t know. Maybe?” He raised his eyebrows. “Think you can do a search on Lex’s employees records?” 

“Definitely but it might be easier for us to focus the search on this guy instead.” She admitted.

He nodded slightly. “I’ll start checking flight records to see if Schott flew into the city recently. If I come up empty-handed I’ll check bus and train records.” 

“I’ll check on his credit purchases and bank, anything he bought or any payments he received should help us figure it out.”

“Be sure and cross-check any and all paychecks with all the known LuthorCorp. subsidiaries,” he advised, then paused. “Which you would’ve done anyway.” He rolled his eyes at himself and moved to sit at his computer once more.

“I’ll do my best, Lex likes being creative with names for his companies, so you might be able to catch some I might miss,” she said, glancing at him over her shoulder.

Oliver nodded slightly, fingers moving over the keyboard. “I fired Winslow years ago. I don’t remember when exactly, but I’ll call my assistant back in Star City and have her pull up his employee records.” 

“Don’t,” she glanced over at him, “I can figure that out, let’s not raise any flags if we don’t have to.”

He paused, looking back at her, as well. “You think there’s a leak at QI?” 

She pursed her lips together, “there is always a possibility.”

He swallowed hard at that, and rubbed a hand over his face. “All right. One thing at a time,” he murmured, facing the computer once more.

“And I will look into that for you as soon as we are done with this one,” she promised.

“Thanks,” he said, nodding a little. 

“Not a problem,” she said sincerely, looking at him once more then taking a deep breath and falling silent as she focused.

He drew in a breath, too, chewing the inside of his cheek. “Which one of us is going to bite the bullet and call Clark?” 

Chloe paused and took a deep breath, “I will, once we have more information.”

He glanced at her once more, grimacing just a little. 

“It will be fine, Ollie,” she assured him.

“He hates me.” He gave her a look and turned back to his computer.

“I don’t blame you for thinking that,” she admitted, “but he doesn’t hate you, he just doesn’t understand you.”

He pursed his lips. “I guess I don’t really understand him, either.” 

“What it comes down to is that you guys are on the same side and regardless of your methods, you both should be helping each other out.”

He drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “I know.” 

“I know _you_ know.” She sighed, then turned to face him, “the things he said to you yesterday, he was so far out of line...”

Oliver was silent for a moment, then he turned to face her, as well. “He’s still upset about last time.” 

“Last time?” She asked, frowning as she looked up at him.

“The last time I was here in the city.” 

“When Dinah showed up here?” She asked.

He nodded a little. “He still blames me for you getting hurt and Lois finding out my secret.” 

“I got that much, but what happened last time?” She asked.

“About the same thing as what happened yesterday,” Oliver admitted.

“He was angry because you’re a part of our lives? But why then?”

“Because you got hurt,” he reminded her, raising his eyebrows. 

“Because of Dinah? I was barely even hurt, Oliver.” She told him, shaking her head.

“You still got hurt. On my watch. And Clark had no idea you were working for me. He doesn’t like not knowing what’s going on.” 

“Yeah but eventually Clark will need to realize that the reason I can’t tell him everything is because he reacts like that,” she sighed.

“It’s a Catch-22,” he agreed with a small smile.

“I just wish he would relax and be a little more trusting of the rest of us,” she told him, “but now with Lana gone, that will be nearly impossible.”

Oliver sighed softly at that, nodding. “Yeah.”

“Maybe eventually, when he is more comfortable with himself,” she sighed too.

“Hopefully,” he said softly.

“And don’t worry about him, Ollie, you’re a great guy.”

He paused, glancing at her again. “I think you might be biased.” 

“Yeah well, Clark is too, in the opposite way, so maybe this is the balance we are looking for?” She said, smiling a little.

“Maybe,” he conceded with a tiny smile.

“Maybe you should trust me for a change?” she arched her eyebrows.

Oliver stilled. “I trust you more than anyone.” 

Chloe paused at that and turned fully to look at him, her eyes widening even as her heart skipped a beat.

He raised his eyebrows a little, meeting her eyes for a moment and then ducking his head as he focused his attention back on the computer once more.

She blinked a few times and took a deep breath before reaching over and squeezing his arm slightly but forcing herself to stay quiet.

Oliver glanced at her again, then looked down at her hand, a faint smile touching his mouth.

Chloe watched him for a moment then forced herself to drop her hand and turn back to the computer in front of her, she needed to concentrate.

* * * 

Oliver sighed softly, rubbing a hand over his face as he read over the print-outs Chloe had given him earlier. He chewed the inside of his cheek and shook his head a little, glancing over to where she was sitting behind the other computer and pausing as he saw her head down on the desk, her eyes closed. A small smile touched his mouth and he sat back in his chair, raising his eyebrows a little. 

She sighed deeply and relaxed a little more, leaning her head further over her arm.

He glanced at the clock on his computer, blinking when he saw the digital numbers said 1:24 AM. No wonder she’d drifted off. They’d been at the research thing all day. He drew in a breath and rose to his feet, moving over to where she was seated and hesitating a second before carefully scooping her into his arms and cradling her against him.

Chloe shifted slightly in his arms then opened her eyes, lifting her arms to his neck instinctively then staring up at him.

“Go back to sleep,” he whispered with a small smile, carrying her away from the computer and toward the hallway.

“What are you doing?” She asked, glancing at the computer then back up at him.

“Carrying you to bed,” he informed her. “You just passed out at the computer, which means you need some rest.” 

“We need to finish,” she murmured, looking up at him again even if she relaxed slightly.

“We will in a few hours,” Oliver answered, nudging the guest room door open with his shoulder. 

“I was gonna go to Isis...” she sighed, laying her head on his shoulder.

He held his breath for a moment. “Later,” he whispered, shifting her in his arms and tugging the blankets back on the bed before laying her on the mattress. 

“Ollie,” she sighed even as he laid her on the bed.

“Rest,” he said quietly.

Chloe stared up at him for a moment then blew out a breath, she was barely able to keep her eyes open.

Without thinking about it, he reached down and brushed some hair out of her eyes, his fingers brushing over her cheek. “Sleep.” 

“You too?” She whispered, leaning into his touch.

“I will.” He held his breath.

“Promise?” She asked, opening her eyes a little more and reaching for his hand.

“Promise.” He gave her fingers a gentle squeeze.

She nodded a little then shifted on the bed, turning on her side to get more comfortable.

“Goodnight, Chloe,” he murmured.

“Night, Ollie,” she said quietly, her fingers still over his hand.

He turned his hand in hers and rubbed his thumb lightly over the back of it. “Sweet dreams.” 

“Mhmm,” she muttered then sighed deeply as she fell asleep.

He held his breath as he watched her eyes flutter shut once more. Then he rubbed a hand over his face, slowly heading out the door. He wasn’t sure why his gut had tightened the way it had, but he knew it wasn’t good.

* * *

The next morning, Oliver had made them breakfast once again. Bacon, eggs and toast this time and then Chloe told him she was going to Isis to finally grab her things before they started on the research again and he had insisted on coming with her, which she figured would probably be good for him to get out of the house for a while anyway. 

She packed an overnight bag, with a lot more things than should actually fit the small bag, since she didn’t know how long she was going to stay with him, grabbed her phone charger then nodded up at him, “I’m ready.”

He nodded, smiled faintly and held his hand out wordlessly, nodding toward the overstuffed bag she was holding.

Chloe rolled her eyes a little but handed it over to him, “it’s not that heavy.”

He smirked a little. “Even better.” 

“Uh huh,” she smirked back at him, “should we get back so we can get back to work?”

“I suppose so.” He grinned and headed for the door.

“There is one place I wanna stop by on my way back there,” she told him.

He raised his eyebrows a little. “Oh?” 

“It will be quick, but I’m sure my coffee guy is wondering why I haven’t been there in three days.”

He stifled a chuckle at that. “Just tell him you found another dealer.” 

“Please, he knows he has the best coffee in town. I’ve researched.” She smirked.

His eyes widened a little at that. “Even better than the hazelnut I’ve been making?” 

“The best coffee _vendor_ , no one can compete with a coffee that probably costs a hundred dollars an ounce.” She grinned.

“Not _quite_ a hundred.” He glanced at her sideways, smirking.

“Right, maybe ninety, then?” She teased, starting to the door.

“Now you’re getting closer.” Grinning, he followed her, shaking his head.

“I knew it,” she teased, smirking at him.

He smirked back at her, amused.

She shook her head then looked around for a moment, “any idea where I left the keys?”

“I think you put them in your coat pocket.” 

“Oh,” Chloe felt around the pocket then nodded a little, pulling them out, “let’s go.”

“You know, aren’t you a little young to be so forgetful already?” His voice was light, teasing.

“Well everyone is a little young compared to you,” she teased back with a smirk.

“ _Ouch_.” He nudged her arm lightly with his elbow.

Chloe nudged him back and winked at him without thinking about it as she pulled the door open and made her way outside.

He chewed the inside of his cheek, smiling involuntarily as he followed her out the door.

She waited until he was outside and locked the door before joining him, “I think we should call a meeting tonight,” she suggested as casually as she could, then glanced at him.

“A meeting?” he echoed, eyebrows furrowing a little.

“With the guys, to exchange information,” she said, arching her eyebrows.

Oliver fell silent at that, looking less light and teasing and more serious and worried. 

“We’ll figure it out,” she said, nudging him.

“Maybe,” he murmured, drawing in a breath and pausing as he looked toward his car, his eyebrows furrowing a little as he spotted something on the hood of his car. 

“We will, Ollie.” She said, not liking the look on his face and reaching for his arm, pulling him further toward the car, “let’s skip coffee and just get back, okay?”

“Wait,” he said, staring at the small stuffed animal. “Get back.” 

“What is it--” she started the noticed the toy on the hood of his car, her stomach dropping, “is that...”

“Go, get back.” He grabbed her arm as he backed up, taking her with him and giving a startled shout as the car blew up a second later. 

She gasped and instinctively grabbed on to him as the force of the explosion pushed both of them away from the car


	11. Chapter 11

Chloe gasped, this time in pain as her side hit the ground hard, she closed her eyes but didn’t let go of Oliver, even as she opened her eyes and slowly lifted her head, feeling the heat of the fire that had completely taken over the car already.

“Jesus,” he muttered, slowly lifting his head and looking over his shoulder at what little was left of his car. He could already hear sirens blaring in the distance. 

She looked back at him when he spoke and held her breath, “you’re bleeding,” she murmured, lifting a hand to his hair, by the cut on his temple.

He drew in a breath, looking down at her. “Are _you_ all right?” 

Chloe nodded slightly, “we should get out of here.”

“Yeah.” He slid off her, wincing involuntarily as he rose to his feet, holding his hand out to her. 

She winced too as she took his hand and pushed herself up, “do you wanna get back into Isis?”

“I think we need to get away from here,” he told her, shaking his head, his stomach tightening. “He knew we were here.” 

“Where should we go?” She whispered, looking around.

He rubbed a hand over his face and looked around, too. “I think we need to go to Smallville.” 

“Okay,” she nodded, taking a deep breath, “my car is parked a block that way,” she nodded toward it, “let’s go.”

He took her hand without thinking about it, gently tugging her in that direction.

She held on to his hand tightly, walking as fast as she could without running, the last thing they needed was to attract more attention to themselves.

When they reached her car, Oliver raised his eyebrows a little, waiting for her to unlock it and get in.

She did, as fast as she could and got in herself, not wasting time before starting the car and driving off, “where should we go?” She asked, somehow, she didn’t think staying with Clark was an option, “the Talon?”

“I don’t know. Just somewhere safer than Metropolis.” He rubbed his hand over his face again. 

“I can call Lois and tell her to stay with Clark. She will probably be safer at the farm anyway,” Chloe offered.

“Yeah, okay,” he agreed, nodding a little and staring out the passenger side window. 

“What are you thinking?” She asked, glancing over at him.

“That this just got a lot more personal.” 

* * *

The call to Lois hadn’t gone too well but at least, she had agreed to it without too many details, which was surprising, but Chloe wasn’t complaining. The rest of the drive had been pretty silent but she was grateful that her car had been able to handle the speeding, she was sure she had never made it to Smallville that fast before. 

“We’re here,” she told him, glancing over in his direction as she parked down the alley next to the Talon.

“Good,” he murmured, reaching for the door handle and tugging on it, then sliding out of her all-too-small car.

She looked over at him for a moment then got out too and met him in front of the car, “let’s get inside.” 

Nodding, he grabbed her bag from the back and threw it over his shoulder, following her toward the door silently.

“Why don’t you get upstairs and I will get us some food while they are still open?” She offered, holding out the keys to him. She knew they probably didn’t have more than chips and coffee upstairs.

“Yeah, all right.” He gazed at her for a moment, then reached out to take the keys.

“I won’t be long,” she promised then headed toward the counter.

He watched her go, his chest tightening a little. She was in danger because of him. Nearly been killed _twice_ because of him. Because Winslow Schott had a personal vendetta against him. He swallowed hard, wondering if it even bothered her in the least. If it did, she didn’t let it show. He had a feeling there was a hell of a lot Chloe Sullivan didn’t let show. He could learn something about that from her, if he didn’t end up blown up first. Or if she didn’t. Chewing the inside of his cheek, he made his way up the stairs. 

She took her time downstairs, she picked up what they had, croissants and some slices of pie along with coffee for herself and tea for Oliver. Mostly she had offered this because she felt like he needed some time. She opened the door slowly and poked her head inside then made her way in, “back,” she announced as she closed the door behind herself.

He rose to his feet from where he’d been sitting on the sofa, raising his eyebrows a little. “Smells good.” 

“I got you tea,” she said, setting everything down on the coffee table, “it’s mostly pastries and pie. We can order pizza later if we’re hungry.”

“They actually have pizza delivery out here?” 

“Well, not technically,” she smiled a little as she took a seat, “but we get away with it, because they are across the street.”

He smiled faintly at that. “Chloe, I’m sorry.” His voice was quiet and he looked down at the floor.

She paused at that and looked up at him, arching her eyebrows, “what are you sorry about?”

“Nearly getting you blown up. Twice.” 

“So you planted both bombs?” She asked, cocking her head to see him better.

He gave her a look. “You know what I mean.” 

“I do,” she stood up too, “and you’re wrong, I don’t know if you remember correctly, but you _saved my life_ both times.”

“Yeah, but you wouldn’t have been in danger either time if you hadn’t known me.” 

“You don’t know that,” she told him, stepping closer, “and we don’t know that he is after _you_.”

“It was my car, Chloe.” 

“Across the street from where I spend most of my time, Oliver,” she pointed out.

Oliver nodded. “I considered that. But you don’t have any kind of connection to Schott. I do.” 

“No, but I have a connection to Lex and so does he,” she told him, “we still haven’t ruled out the possibility that he is working for him and for all we know, you could have almost died because of me.”

“Have you done anything to Lex lately?” he asked, not in an attempt to argue, but because he wasn’t sure. “Have the two of you crossed paths recently?” 

“You mean other than taking over his ex-wife’s project?” Chloe asked, looking up at him.

He grimaced a little at that. “You think Lex is pissed because you’re the new head of Isis?”

“I don’t know,” she shook her head, “maybe because I helped her get away from him, Ollie. It could be because he knows I have a lot of information I shouldn’t.”

Oliver gazed at her for a moment, trying to ignore the knot in his stomach. “Maybe.” 

“Don’t start blaming yourself for this,” she said, placing a hand on his arm, “we don’t know what happened and we will need you to focus if we want to stop them.”

He blew out a breath, his gaze dropping to her hand as he nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.” 

She relaxed slightly and squeezed his arm, nodding, “why don’t we eat then call the others so we can update them?”

He covered her hand with his own, offering her a small smile in return.

“Although,” she paused, looking up at his temple, “we should clean that first.”

“I’m all right,” he told her.

“There might be glass on there, Ollie. Sit down and I’ll go get everything.”

He pursed his lips, knowing she wasn’t going to let it go til she got her way. “All right, all right.” He held his hands up a little in surrender.

“Thank you,” she smiled softly at him then brushed past him on her way to the bathroom.

He shook his head a little and moved to sit back down on the sofa, sighing very softly. 

“Okay,” she came back with the first aid kit and a half soaked hand towel, she set the kit down then turned to face him, “look up.”

Oliver held his breath and looked up at her, raising his eyebrows a little. “Yes, Dr. Sullivan.” His voice was light, teasing.

She smiled down at him and placed a finger under his chin, turning his head slightly before brushing the wet side of the towel lightly over the cut, “luckily, it’s not deep. I don’t know how I would do with stitches.”

“Expertly,” he said without hesitation. 

“I could expertly call a doctor,” she said, smirking. 

A smile tugged at his mouth as he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “You’re also very funny.” 

She held his gaze then dried the spot carefully, “I try, tell me if I hurt you.”

Oliver fell silent as she gently cleaned the wound on his head, his gaze drifting unconsciously to the neckline of her shirt. 

“Okay,” she said, cupping his cheek on her hand for a better look, “done, it doesn’t look bad.”

He licked his lips involuntarily, looking up at her once more, his eyes a little darker than before. “Thanks.” 

She looked over at him and blinked at the look on his face, her stomach suddenly tight, “how are you feeling?” She asked quietly.

“All right,” he said just as quietly. “It doesn’t hurt.” 

“That’s not what I was asking,” she admitted, searching his eyes.

He paused at that, pursing his lips as he gazed back at her. “All right.” 

“Are you sure?” She asked, “you’ve been through a lot in the last few weeks.”

“Somehow it seems a little less than it probably should be,” he admitted.

Chloe considered that for a moment then nodded, moving to sit down next to him, “I guess that makes sense, with your life.”

“I think it’s more because of that whole sharing thing.” He glanced at her sideways.

“You think it helped?” She asked, cocking her head.

He nodded ever-so-slightly.

“I’m glad,” she said quietly, “because you’re not on your own.”

“I’m getting that,” he said softly, nudging her lightly with his elbow.

Chloe grinned softly and linked her arm with his, “took you long enough.”

He couldn’t help but smile.

* * *

“Chloe?” Clark called as he opened the door for the Talon apartment, having seen the lights on and her car outside, it was safe to assume she was there.

Oliver glanced up from the print outs he was reading over that Vic had sent to Chloe’s email, raising his eyebrows a little even as his stomach knotted. “Here we go.” 

“Clark?” She frowned, getting up, “what happened to knocking?”

“What’s going on?” he asked, shaking his head a little. 

She glanced over at Oliver then took a deep breath and stood up, “there was a second bomb.”

“ _What?_ ” His eyes went wide. “When? Where? Was anyone hurt?”

“Near Isis,” she said, “no one was around except the two of us and we’re okay,” she explained, “but we needed a place where we wouldn’t be easy targets, so we came here, and I sent Lois to the farm because I don’t want her to be in danger.”

Clark stared at her for a moment. “The bomb was near Isis?” he echoed, moving closer to her and resting his hands on her shoulders, glancing her over to make sure she wasn’t hurt. “How close?” 

“Across the street,” she said, “over Oliver’s car.”

“On the hood of it,” he admitted, slowly rising to his feet. 

Clark started between the two of them, “so they were trying to kill _him_?” 

“We don’t know that,” she interrupted before he could go on, “Oliver drove me to Isis, they knew we were there together.”

“But it’s a possibility,” Oliver informed him, his voice neutral. “The man behind it...his name is Winslow Schott. He used to work for my company, but I fired him when he brought an explosive device to work.” 

“We have reason to believe he might be connected to LuthorCorp now,” Chloe added, “but we are still researching.” 

“And considering how fond Lex is of all of us...” He pursed his lips. “And also the fact there was kryptonite in the bomb at the Planet...” 

Clark frowned, looking between the two of them then nodded, “I will make sure Lois doesn’t go back to the Planet for now.”

“Thank you,” Chloe told him, “and like I said, we don’t have a lot of information yet, but if this guy is targeting us, we all need to watch our backs, including you.”

Oliver nodded slightly in agreement as he fell silent, letting Clark absorb the information. 

“I will,” he said, “but you need to call me if something else happens, Chloe.” He pressed. 

“I will,” she told him, “we just wanted to get here and get started again on research as soon as possible.”

Oliver rubbed a hand over the back of his neck and muttered a quick “excuse me” before ducking into the kitchen, both to get some water to drink and to give them a minute to talk without him around.

She glanced over at Oliver then back at Clark, “sorry for just sending Lois over without warning.”

“It’s all right. I wasn’t doing anything,” he admitted with a slight shrug. “At least she’s safe there.” He hesitated a moment. “Why don’t you come, too?” 

Chloe frowned at that, “because I sent her there so she can be safe, if I come, that will defeat the purpose.”

“I can keep you safe, Chloe,” he pointed out.

“I’ll be fine, Clark. And I have Oliver.” She said, “don’t start with this again.”

“You’ve almost been killed _twice_ ,” he whispered. 

“And he was there to protect me _both_ times. I’m not leaving him alone.” She said firmly.

He sighed and looked away, falling silent.

“Let me know if you hear anything odd around here,” she said, taking a deep breath.

“I will.” He looked toward the kitchen, expression decidedly not happy. “Be _careful_.” 

“You too,” she told him, “we’ll be okay.”

Clark didn’t look convinced, but a second later, he sped away, vanishing from sight.

Chloe sighed and glanced at the kitchen, “Ollie?”

“Is it safe to come out now?” he asked, still in the kitchen.

“Yeah,” she smiled slightly.

He peeked around the corner, raising his eyebrows a little, and then stepping back into the living room. “Whoosh?” 

She smiled softly at him, “sorry. Again.”

“No apologies necessary,” he said, smiling back faintly.

“That was unnecessary,” she sighed softly and shook her head.

“Maybe,” Oliver agreed, folding his arms across his chest.

“Don’t start on this again, Oliver,” she said quietly, walking over to him and holding his gaze, “I feel safe with you, I _know_ I’m safe with you.”

He paused, shaking his head a little as she got closer to him. “I didn’t mean that,” he said softly. “I just meant...you apologizing for Clark...that’s not necessary. Don’t feel like you need to play mediator.” 

“Oh,” she nodded slightly, then shrugged, “I just don’t want you to think I share his opinion.”

“I know you don’t,” Oliver said quietly, gazing at her.

“Good,” she smiled a little, holding his gaze.

He searched her eyes, lifting his hand to her cheek without thinking about it and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Chloe held her breath at that and lifted a hand to his arm, smiling a little more, “and I feel perfectly safe here,” she told him once more.

He smiled softly in return, nodding.

She considered him for a moment then dropped her hand from his arm and wrapped her arms around him, she’d been wanting to hug him for a while, since she had seen the look on his face when he’d been blaming himself yet again. The last thing she wanted was for him to feel any less like the hero he was.

He blinked a couple times, a little caught off guard by the hug, but then he wrapped his arms around her, as well, pulling her closer and relaxing. He rested his head against hers and shut his eyes, exhaling slowly.

Sighing softly, she closed her eyes and relaxed too, leaning her cheek against his chest and leaning into him. She would never have imagined she and Oliver would get close like this, but she was really glad they had, despite the circumstances.


	12. Chapter 12

It was almost one in the morning by the time Oliver found the words on the page he was reading getting very blurry. He rubbed a hand over his face and glanced over to where Chloe was still at her computer, chewing on her lower lip. He drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “I hate to say it, but...it’s getting really difficult to keep concentrating.” 

Chloe took a deep breath and nodded slightly, “yeah,” she agreed quietly, “I guess we’ve both had a long day and at least we made some progress.” She told him as she turned to face him.

“Yeah, I think so, too,” he agreed, offering her a small smile. He rose to his feet, glancing at the bed without thinking about it and then quickly over at the couch. “Do you have a spare blanket and pillow, by chance?” 

“You can take the bed,” she offered, standing up, “I wanna send Vic the results before I get to bed and the computer is right here.”

“I’m not taking your bed,” he said pointedly, giving her a look.

“Why not?” She asked, arching her eyebrows, “it’s not like we have 5 guest rooms,” she smirked a little.

He smirked back at her. “Because it’s your bed and the couch is just fine for me.” 

“Yeah but I don’t wanna keep you up any longer, you look like you’re about to fall asleep right there.”

“Don’t worry about me. I can sleep through an earthquake. I have before, actually.” He winked at her.

Chloe arched her eyebrows at that, “really?”

He chuckled at her expression. “Yeah. But to be fair, it was a small earthquake.” 

“Still,” she shook her head, “do you need to shower or anything? I’m sure I can find you something to wear.”

He raised his eyebrows. “You know, somehow I just don’t think that I’d look nearly as good in your clothes as you do in mine.” He smirked.

“You never know...” she grinned softly, “but we do have clothes that might fit you, Lois likes to call it the ex-boyfriend pile.”

Had it been a few months ago, Oliver would have winced at that. “Well, we can look.” 

She was glad he didn’t seem uncomfortable with that then nodded, “let me get you a towel and I will look through the clothes.”

“All right. Thanks.” He brushed his hand against the small of her back lightly as he passed her, heading toward the bathroom.

Chloe held her breath and watched him for a moment before following him, “the towels are actually in there.”

“I...actually remember,” he admitted. “Unless you guys moved them.” 

“Right,” she said, trying for a smile, “no, everything should be in the same place.”

He nodded, gazing at her. “I figured. Thanks.” 

“No problem,” she looked at him for a moment then made her way out of the bathroom and straight toward the closet. 

He watched her go, smiled a little, and ducked into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Chloe opened the closet door and took a deep breath. At some point both she and Lois stopped bothering with the whole hanging clothes thing and finding guy-friendly clothes wasn’t going to be an easy task.

Fifteen minutes later, he emerged from the bathroom, a large white towel wrapped around his waist, his hair dripping down his back as he glanced around, frowning a little when he didn’t see her anywhere. “Chloe?” he called.

She had made her way all the way to the back of the closet and when he called, she was leaning down, digging through yet another pile, her eyes widened a little and she looked over her shoulder, “yeah?”

“No luck?” he asked, moving closer to the closet and raising his eyebrows. 

Chloe just glanced at first and then she turned toward him fully, her eyes widening even as she fell sideways on top of a pile of clothes. He was wet. And mostly naked. And absolutely gorgeous. “I-- that was fast,” she managed as she tried to sit up but made no attempt to stand.

His eyes widened in alarm as she fell. “Chloe, are you all right?” He held his hand out toward her to help her up.

“I’m fine,” she said, pausing before taking his hand. He really shouldn’t be moving any closer. “Just hard to find a place to step on.”

“I see that,” he said with a small smile, gently tugging on her hand and helping her to her feet. 

“Thanks,” she whispered, staring up at him.

He held his breath and her gaze, nodding ever-so-slightly. “No problem.” 

“I hm,” she forced herself to look down and reached on top of one of the piles and picked up a pair of grey sweatpants, “found these. just no shirt.”

He took the sweatpants from her, nodding a little and pausing. “You know, I think...these were actually mine.” 

“Oh, really?” She asked, smiling slightly, “at least they should fit.”

He nodded again, smiling back at her. “Yeah. Thank you for finding them.” 

“You’re welcome,” she said, smiling slightly, “and if you are cold, I think this will fit you,” she said, pulling her own MetU hoodie, “it’s way too big for me.”

“I can see that.” He chuckled a little, holding the sweatshirt up and raising his eyebrows a little.

Chloe shrugged a little, “you can wear it if you’re hot-- cold, I mean, if you get cold.” She said, quickly correcting herself.

“I will. Thanks.” He winked at her. “I’m just gonna...” He pointed his thumb toward the direction of the bathroom. “Go put some clothes on.” 

“Right,” she nodded, holding her breath, “sorry I took so long.”

“It’s no problem,” he assured her, offering her a soft smile before turning and heading to the bathroom once more.

Chloe stared after him, her eyes widening a little when she saw his back, water dripping from his short hair and all the way down to the towel, not to mention his arms... she wasn’t able to stop staring until he disappeared back into the bathroom and then she forced herself to move and find him pillows and blankets.

* * * 

_She sighed softly when she finished reading the documents and looked over at him, sitting next to her, “anything?”_

_“Nothing new,” he admitted, sighing, as well. He glanced at her sideways. “You neither, huh?”_

_“Nothing,” she tossed the documents over the coffee table, “maybe we need a break so we can look at things fresh.”_

_“Yeah, that works for me.” He set his own documents down and shifted so he was sitting on the sofa facing her._

_Chloe paused when she realized how close he was to her, “what do you wanna do?” She asked quietly, turning toward him too._

_Oliver smiled at that, reaching out and cupping her cheek in his hand. “Something I’ve been thinking about for awhile now.”_

_“What is that?” She asked, sitting up even as she leaned into his warm hand._

_He leaned in, dipping his head and kissing her softly on the mouth, his nose brushing over hers lightly. She held her breath for a moment then kissed him back, she had been wanting to know what that would feel like for a while now._

_Within seconds, he’d maneuvered her onto his lap, his other arm sliding around her waist as he broke the kiss in order to breathe. “Even better.”_

_Chloe gasped quietly and looked down at him, cupping his face in her hands, “agreed,” she said, her eyes dark as she shifted on his lap, closer to him, a leg on each side of him, “I’ve been thinking about it too.”_

_“Glad to know it’s not just me,” he murmured, pressing a tender kiss to the corner of her mouth and then another to her jaw._

_She shivered, shaking her head, “definitely not,” she murmured, reaching down for his shirt and pulling it up so she could slide her hands inside and touch his skin._

_He inhaled sharply at the feel of her hands against his bare skin, then tugged lightly on the hem of her own shirt. “This should go. Is that okay?”_

_“Yes,” she smiled and shook her head, “you don’t have to ask.”_

_“Just want to make sure we’re on the same page,” he told her with a soft smile before sliding her shirt up and off over her head._

_She did the same with his shirt then took a deep breath, “now we are.”_

_Oliver reached up, brushing some hair behind her ear. “God, you are so beautiful,” he murmured. “Do you know that?”_

_Leaning into his touch, she smiled for a moment before shifting closer and kissing him once more as she moved her hands over his sides and stomach._

_He smiled back at her, his eyes bright as he lowered his mouth to her jaw, and then to her neck, kissing her there as he slowly reclined back onto the sofa._

_She shifted, shivering again before pulling away and standing up, then holding her hand out to him, “the bed is much bigger,” she said, smirking softly._

_“Hm, sounds promising.” He slid his hand into her, shooting her a grin and waggling his eyebrows._

_Chloe laughed and tugged on his hand so he would stand, “something tells me that things with you usually are.”_

_“I think that’s something we have in common.”_

_“In that case,” she stepped closer when he stood and jumped, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, “we need less talking and more showing.”_

_“Oh, I do like the way you think, Gorgeous.” He smiled, raising his eyebrows as he caught her easily in his arms._

_She grinned and brushed her lips against his again, then kissed him deeply a moment later. Just like she’d imagined, kissing him was amazing._

_“You fit perfect in my arms,” he whispered against her mouth._

_“You have amazing arms,” she whispered back, smiling as her heart skipped a beat._

_“I work out,” he teased, nuzzling his nose against hers as he carried her to the bed and laid her down on it._

_“Maybe with you around I will even exercise some,” she teased, sliding higher on the bed, “but like I said, enough talking.”_

_“More_ exercising _,” he responded, kissing her once more._

 _“Exactly,” she muttered against his lips then kissed him back, hard even as she reached to push his pants down, she didn’t know what it was about him, but she wasn’t interested in wasting anymore time, she_ wanted _him._

_“I’ve wanted this for a long time,” he murmured, pulling her on top of him as soon as they were both undressed._

_“No more waiting,” she said, reaching for him and guiding him inside of her, her eyes on his until she gasped at the feeling of him._

She gasped and opened her eyes, blinking a couple of times when she realized she was laying on her back, alone in the bed rather than being on top of him. Blinking a few times, she looked around at the apartment, the sun was apparently already up.

“Hungry?” he called from the kitchen as he heard her moving around.

Chloe sat up instantly, her eyes wide as she saw him standing there, shirtless. Maybe it hadn’t been a dream.

When she didn’t respond, he frowned a little and turned to look at her. “Chloe? You all right?” 

She glanced over at the couch and the hoodie she’d given him the previous night was on the back of it. Definitely a dream. “I-- yeah.” She shifted on the bed, nodding as she looked back at him, at his painfully bare, perfect chest. 

He paused, setting down the glass of juice he’d poured and moving over toward her. “Did you have a bad dream?” There was concern in his voice.

Bad was really far from how she would describe it, pursing her lips together, she shook her head but remained quiet, she couldn’t help but stare.

Oliver gazed at her worriedly for a moment, then sat down on the edge of the bed. “You sure?” 

“Mhmm,” she answered, holding her breath when he sat down.

“I’ve got some coffee brewing,” he said, chewing the inside of his cheek.

“Thanks,” she said quietly, taking a deep breath and willing herself to relax, “I should shower.” Cold shower was definitely a good idea. 

“Okay.” He nodded a little. “I’ll get back to the research while I wait for you. You hungry? I could go grab something from downstairs.” 

Chloe shook her head a little, “I can get something,” she told him, shifting on the bed, “I won’t be long.”

“Are you sure? It’s not a problem.” 

“Yeah,” she nodded, pushing the covers off and getting up, “I won’t be long.”

He pursed his lips, unable to shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right. “Okay...” 

She tried for a smile then quickly made her way into the bathroom, closing the door behind herself and taking a deep breath. 

Oliver frowned as he watched her go, then scratched his temple, a look of confusion on his face.

Chloe didn’t waste time before getting in the shower, she took her time in there, trying to completely forget her dream so she could actually be productive around him for the day. It wasn’t until she was done drying herself that she realized that in her hurry to get in there, she completely forgot to grab clothes. 

And now she had no choice but to walk out there, naked. She just hoped she didn’t accidentally drop the towel on her way. 

Oliver turned to look at her as the door opened, his eyes widening as he realized she was only wearing a towel. He sucked in a breath involuntarily, staring at her. He’d never seen _that_ much of Chloe’s bare skin before. 

She stilled when she saw him looking at her and tightened her grip on her towel, “forgot clothes,” she explained before quickly crossing the apartment toward the closet, her face felt like it was burning. 

He swallowed hard. “Oh,” was all he could manage to say, unable to take his eyes off her. 

Chloe paused just before going into the closet and looked over at him again, her eyes widening when she noticed he was still staring at her, she held her breath and stared back at him for a moment before stepping into the closet and closing the door, her heart beating fast against her chest. 

He blinked when she shut the door behind her and he turned away, his eyes still wide. Now _he_ needed a shower. A cold one. And he was a little startled by the fact that she’d caught him staring. He just hoped she hadn’t noticed the very visible bulge in his sweatpants.


	13. Chapter 13

“I need more coffee,” Chloe said as she stood up from the computer and stretched, she’d been doing her best not to stare at him all day and every time she thought she was okay, she remembered her dream and how kissing him had felt and she had to make an excuse to keep distance between them. 

She knew he had noticed something was wrong, so she was going out of her way to be nice so he wouldn’t feel bad, “do you need anything?”

He shook his head a little, rising to his feet as well, and stretching his arms over his head. “Just a short break before I go blind.” 

“That would be bad,” she nodded, glancing over at him and smiling before heading over to the kitchen.

“It’d be difficult to shoot arrows without vision,” he said without thinking, watching her head away.

She held her breath at that and looked over at him again, nodding, “somehow, I think you’d manage.”

“You’d trust me to be shooting even if I couldn’t see?” 

“Well, it might take some training so you will get used to it, but you have good instincts,” she told him, arching her eyebrows.

A small smile touched his mouth and he looked down for a moment, then back up at her silently.

She held her breath but couldn’t help but smile back at him for a moment before turning back to the coffee maker. 

“You’re one of a kind. You know that, right?” His voice was quiet.

She paused for a moment and looked down at the machine then glanced over her shoulder, “so are you.”

He held his breath at that, and then slowly moved toward her.

Chloe arched her eyebrows and looked up at him, “are you okay?” She asked, mostly hoping to stop him from staring at her like that.

Oliver nodded slightly, gazing at her intently as he got closer. 

Her stomach tightened and she held her breath, looking up at him. She must have fallen asleep on her chair or something. 

“I mean it,” he said quietly. “Do you know how special you are, Chloe?” 

She held her breath and looked up at him, taking a step closer, “why are you saying this?”

“Because it’s the truth, and I’m not sure you hear it enough,” he said honestly, searching her eyes. 

“Thank you,” she whispered, looking up at him, her chest tight, “you are too, Ollie. You’re amazing.” 

He held his breath for a second, then reached up and touched her cheek. “Thank you.” 

She held his gaze and lifted both hands to his arms, her heart beating fast as she shifted closer, her gaze lowering to his lips. 

Her dropped gaze didn’t go unnoticed and he shifted a little closer to her, stroking her cheek lightly with the pad of his thumb as his gaze dropped to her mouth, as well.

Chloe leaned closer, tiptoeing and brushing her nose against his, then stilling when she heard a loud noise coming from the couch, and pulling away.

He shut his eyes as she pulled away from him, sighing inaudibly. It really figured.

“It’s your phone,” she murmured, looking away then back at him.

“Right,” he said softly, looking down and then at her again, a flicker of regret in his eyes as he reluctantly moved toward the living room and grabbed his phone off the table. “Oliver Queen,” he answered. 

“Turn on Metropolis Morning News right now,” Lois said urgently. 

Chloe glanced over at him then sighed deeply and rubbed a hand over her face as he looked away then leaned against the counter as she waited for her coffee. 

Oliver’s eyebrows furrowed a little. “O-kay,” he said slowly, moving over to the television and turning it on with the remote before flipping to the correct channel. 

Frowning slightly, Chloe glanced over at the TV, confused. 

“He said his message is for you,” Lois told him, her voice lower. 

“And if he _doesn’t_ show his face here by noon, I will blow this whole place up and everyone in it,” Schott warned, waving a gun in the air, as well as a controller in his hand. 

All of the blood drained from Oliver’s face as he grew numb. 

She recognized the man instantly and walked over to where Oliver was, standing behind the couch, her eyes widened and she stared for just a second before rushing to the computer and sending a message to all of the team members. 

“Hurry.” Lois told him.

He hung up the phone wordlessly. “What school is it?” he whispered, not able to take his eyes off the screen where several small school children huddled together behind Schott, terrified.

“South Metropolis Elementary,” she told him, pulling it up on the map, her heart beating fast, “I’m warning the others.” 

“I need to borrow your car,” he said, his voice urgent.

“I’m coming with you,” She said instantly, closing the laptop and grabbing it. 

He didn’t argue, simply headed for the door, unlocking and yanking it open.

Chloe grabbed her purse and keys and followed, running down the stairs after him with the laptop hugged tightly to her chest. 

* * * 

The entire grade school was surrounded by police, SWAT teams, FBI, news crews, children who’d gotten evacuated or escaped when Schott had taken hostages, and a whole lot of worried parents and family members. Which, considering the fact there was a man with a bomb inside, probably wasn’t the best of ideas if you asked Oliver. 

But no one was, and he understood it. He undid his seatbelt as soon as Chloe parked the car--little over half a block away--and reached for the door handle.

“Oliver, wait,” she grabbed his arm before he could get out, her chest tight.

He turned to look at her once more. “Yeah?” 

“I know I can’t ask you to wait for the others to be closer to back you up,” she said quietly, glancing toward the school and then looking at him, “at least wear the communicator.”

Oliver nodded, reaching out and taking the small earbud from her and sliding it into place. “Can you see it?” 

She held her breath then reached over, pulling his short hair over his ear as well as she could then shook her head slightly, pursing her lips together. 

“Okay.” He drew in a breath and glanced out the windshield. “Wish me good luck.”

She tightened her grip on his arm and tugged it toward her, her heart beating fast, “wait.”

Oliver’s eyebrows furrowed a little at the urgency in her voice. “What is it?” 

Chloe looked at him for just a second, letting go of his arm and cupping his cheek before leaning in and kissing him. Instantly his hand reached up to cup her cheek, as well, as his lips met hers without hesitation, kissing her back softly.

She shifted closer and deepened the kiss, her heart beating even faster now, she had been trying to talk herself out of this through all of the drive, but she was worried that, once he was in there, he was going to revert back to his self-destructive state and she thought that maybe, if she let him know she cared, he might reconsider it.

A soft groan escaped him as his hand moved to tangle in her hair for a moment. When the kiss ended, he felt a little dazed, blinking a few times and wondering if that had really just happened or if he’d been dreaming or imagining things. His eyes were dark as he pulled back to stare at her.

With a deep breath, she looked back at him, keeping her hand against his face, “please be careful,” she said quietly, holding his gaze.

Oliver swallowed hard, nodding very slightly. “I will,” he said just as quietly.

She nodded slightly back at him, “I’ll be in your ear,” she whispered.

He reached up and covered her hand with his for a moment, then drew in a breath. “Here I go,” he murmured, reaching for the door handle once more and climbing out of the car.

“Good luck,” she whispered quietly, watching him go even as she slid the communicator in her ear.

He knew that the police weren’t going to be willing to let him just walk into the school, so he kept his head down the best he could, slipping through the crowd quietly, trying not to draw any attention to himself as he reached out and grabbed a jacket that read Metropolis Police Department on the back of it. 

“Arrow is going in,” Chloe announced, “Impulse, what is your ETA?”

“Two minutes,” he responded a second later. “Should I start pulling the kids out?” 

“Not yet,” she told him, “let him get in first. Arrow,” she said, her stomach turning, “let us know when you have a visual on Schott.”

“Will do,” he said, voice so soft it was barely audible.

“Everyone else, stand by,” she said as she opened the laptop to look at the map and see where Oliver was going.

He managed to slip into the building right alongside several other officers who were already inside, ducking down the hall and making his way toward the classroom where Schott was holed up.

“Arrow is approaching the target,” Chloe said, holding her breath. 

“Hey, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” someone shouted from behind him a few feet. 

Oliver turned, holding his hands up a little. “What I have to,” he informed the officer, raising his eyebrows. “Schott!” he called loudly.

The man stilled and started to chuckle as he turned toward Oliver, “you actually came...” 

“Impulse, get ready but stand by.” Chloe said, her stomach turning.

“You took a bunch of kids hostage. Did you really think I wouldn’t show up?” He glanced sideways at the officer before stepping into the classroom the rest of the way.

“Never cared about anyone but yourself before,” he smirked, picking up a toy car.

Oliver shifted ever-so-slightly, glancing around the room at the children and then back at Schott. “What can I say? I’m a new man.” 

He wound up the toy car and placed it on the floor, watching at it started making its way toward the kids, “you’re not.” He chuckled again, “because you will still let them die.”

He held his breath at that. “If that was true, I wouldn’t have bothered showing up in the first place, now would I?” 

“You have sixty seconds to sign your company over to me,” he grinned. 

“Sixty seconds, Impulse, you go in in twenty.”

“Fine,” he said without hesitation. “Show me the dotted line.” He raised his eyebrows, watching Schott intently.

“Over there,” he nodded at the table opposite from the kids. 

Oliver glanced at the table, then moved toward it slowly, picking up the pen and trying to keep his breathing under control as he felt his heart pounding heavily against his chest.

A moment later, there was a strong wind in the room, Clark ran in then stilled, tripping and crashing on the floor not far from the kids a moment later, his stomach turning.

His eyes widened and he turned just in time to see Clark tumbling toward the floor. _Shit_. What the hell was he even doing there? 

“What was that?” Chloe asked, eyes wide as she sat up, “Clark.” She gasped when she saw his codename pop up on her screen all of the sudden. “Impulse, go in!”

“I thought this might happen.” Schott smirked as he looked down at Clark. “A little birdie told me you just might show up.” He held up a chunk of green meteor rock.

“Clark is down, Cyborg, Aquaman, we will need backup.” Chloe said, heart racing. 

“I’ll start taking the kids out,” Bart said. 

“No, we don’t have time, look for bombs, toys, small packages.” She told him, “run them to as far as you can, desserts, middle of the ocean.”

Oliver kept still, pen in his hand as he debated about what to do. “Look,” he said to Schott, leaning over and signing the bottom of the paper, then holding it up. “It’s your company now. You have what you wanted.” 

“It’s too late!” Schott said, “you brought in help, Queen. You do care only about yourself.”

“What are you talking about? I didn’t bring in _anyone_ ,” he said honestly, shaking his head.

“Liar!” He yelled then grinned, sweat dripping from his face as he pulled a device from his pocket, “now you, your friends and those kids will die because of _you_.”

“And so will you,” Oliver reminded him, taking a step forward.

“Not me,” he said, shaking his head as he backed toward the door, detonator in hand. 

A moment later, there was a strong wind again and the small car disappeared.

The second Oliver realized the bomb was gone and Bart had done his part, he surged forward, tackling Schott to the ground and yanking the green Kryptonite away from him, hurling it out into the hallway, then pressing his arm against the larger man’s throat. 

Schott fell backward and held up the detonator, “that wasn’t the only one!” He warned. 

“Impulse, get Boy Scout out of there! He needs to x-ray the building!” Chloe said urgently. 

Oliver felt the rush of wind, but didn’t take his eyes off Schott. “Maybe not. But if you blow us up, you’ll die now too,” he responded, his jaw tight. 

“It will be worth it,” he chuckled again, moving his thumb over the red button and pressing it down.

“All bombs are gone, Watchtower.” Bart said. 

When nothing happened, he watched shock flicker over Schott’s face. “I think this is the part where you go to prison for the rest of your life,” he informed him, rising to his feet.

“No!” Schott said, pushing the button harder. 

Chloe took a deep breath when she heard Oliver and nodded slightly, “I’m tipping the cops and sending them in to get the kids out, boys, stay out of there.” She said as she closed the laptop, pulled out her phone and got out of the car. 

Oliver stared at Schott, holding him down even as he heard the police officers’ footsteps approaching the door rapidly. “Was it really worth it?” he asked, shaking his head a little. 

“Drop the device!” One of the cops yelled, pointing the gun at Schott. 

“Get out of there, Arrow,” Chloe said, looking toward the door of the school as she walked closer to it. 

“He pushed the button a few times,” Oliver told them, slowly rising to his feet. “I think it was faulty.” 

“You will need to come with us,” one of the other cops told Oliver as some other started to remove the kids. 

He groaned inwardly, but nodded in response, glancing around at the kids and feeling a little dazed. “Can I just meet you downtown?” 

The man glanced at his supervisor, who nodded even though he obviously didn’t like the idea. 

“Thanks,” Oliver told him, nodding back slightly and heading out of the classroom, down the hall and toward the exit.

“Are you getting out?” She asked, standing behind the crowd where the mothers and fathers were now being reunited with the children. 

“Yeah,” he said quietly, stepping out of the school and searching the crowd for a moment before he spotted her, excusing himself as he squeezed himself in between crying parents and children, purpose in his stride.

She wanted nothing more than to throw her arms around him, but stopped herself since she was all too aware of the press gathered around the school.

He met her eyes, smiling faintly at her as he approached.

She held his gaze and nodded a little, placing a hand on his back and leading him to the car, “I’ll drive you,” she said quietly. 

“Wait,” he said just as quietly, turning to face her once they reached the car. 

Chloe paused and glanced at the crowd a few feet away then looked back at him. 

Oliver held his breath for a moment, searching her eyes, then reaching up to cup her cheek in his hand. He smiled a little, then dipped his head and kissed her softly on the mouth.

She lifted a hand to his arm and squeezed it, kissing him back just as softly.

After a moment, he pulled away, smiling softly at her. “Let’s go.” 

With a deep breath she nodded and let go of him, getting on the driver’s side, “Are you hurt?” She asked quietly once they were both in.

“No, I’m all right,” he assured her. “Thanks to Bart.” He drew in a breath, his jaw tensing a little at the way Clark had burst into the room unexpectedly. 

“He ran back to Smallville,” Chloe explained.

“Did the bomb detonate?” 

“Yeah,” she nodded, “in the middle of the pacific, there were five of them.”

“Christ,” he whispered, rubbing a hand over his face. 

“He won’t get out anytime soon,” she assured him, glancing over at him. 

“Unless there’s some legal technicality.” He rested his head back against the seat, sighing softly.

“Whoever might have been behind this with him isn’t going to want anything to do with him anymore,” she said, keeping her eyes on the road. 

“Maybe not, but he still wants me dead,” he responded, glancing at her sideways. 

“Then we will make sure he doesn’t get anywhere near you,” she said seriously, holding his gaze for a moment. 

“That’s not the part that worries me,” he admitted just as seriously.

“Then what is it?” She frowned, not liking his tone. 

“That he’ll use other people to get to me, like he’s been doing.” He gazed at her for a moment, then looked out the windshield.

“That’s assuming he gets out, Ollie,” she shook her head, “this will get a lot of press and if he is ever released, everyone will be watching him.”

Oliver drew in a breath, nodding a little. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” he said, feeling uneasy.

“Try to relax,” she told him, “we will get over with this thing and then we will have time to regroup.”

He nodded a little, glancing at her once more and exhaling slowly. “All right.” 

Chloe nodded then hesitated a little and reached for his hand, “you were good in there, Ollie.”

“I had some help,” he reminded her, looking down at their hands.

“You did,” she agreed quietly, “but something tells me that going in as yourself was even harder than it would have been if you had been there as Green Arrow.”

He pursed his lips. She wasn’t wrong about that. He nodded a little, curling his fingers around hers. 

She squeezed his hand and nodded, glancing at him, “how are you feeling?”

“I’m all right,” he told her, offering her a small, quick smile.

She nodded and squeezed his hand again, “do you wanna stop and get tea?”

“No. I just kinda want to get this over with,” he admitted, squeezing her hand in return. 

“Okay,” she agreed, nodding slightly, “let’s get it done.”


	14. Chapter 14

Oliver was having a difficult time not staring at her as they rode the elevator up to his suite in the clock tower hours later. He wasn’t sure what to make of the fact that she’d kissed him right before he’d gone in the school to confront Schott. It hadn’t been a simple little kiss between friends. It had been urgent and seeking, plus friends didn’t kiss with their _tongues._

Then he’d kissed her. 

Both times had been electric, and he couldn’t deny he felt a strong connection to the fiery blond beside him, but it wasn’t exactly _expected_ , either. 

The one thing he _was_ sure of was that he wanted to kiss her again. The sooner the better, his mind said eagerly. 

Well. Maybe not his _mind_. 

She looked over at him and smiled a little, “this is why I prefer the superhero way out, would have saved us four whole hours,” she said, trying to make conversation mostly because she didn’t know what to do now that they were alone again.

He smiled faintly at that, meeting her eyes. “You have a point there. I’ll have to keep that in mind.” 

Chloe held his gaze and nodded a little, looking at him for a moment longer, then shrugging, “at least it doesn’t look like you will have to deal with it anymore.”

“Yeah, at least they didn’t arrest me for pretending to be a police officer and sneaking onto a crime scene and nearly getting a bunch of school kids blown to smithereens.” 

She winced at that and looked over at him again, “everyone is safe thanks to you and your team, they just can’t know that yet.”

“Our team,” he said quietly.

Arching an eyebrow, she looked over at him and smiled a little, “we should update them.” She told him as the elevator came to a stop.

“Yeah, I can give them a call when--” He paused, raising his eyebrows at the sight that greeted him as he rolled up the gate, revealing Victor, Bart and AC on his sofa, playing a video game. 

“You lose, _again_!” Victor said, laughing. 

Chloe paused and looked over at Oliver then toward the guys. A little disappointed to see them there. “Hey.” She greeted, smiling softly.

“Finally!” Bart said then turned to Victor, “I didn’t hack the controller.”

“I didn’t either,” he said, indignantly. “I’m just _better_ at this than you.” 

“Hey, guys,” Oliver said, a hint of uncertainty to his voice. 

“We ordered pizza,” AC told them, “and managed to stop Bart from eating all of it.” 

“That must be a first,” Chloe smirked a little, arching her eyebrows.

Oliver couldn’t help but smirk, as well. “No doubt. Good work out there today, Impulse.” 

“Yeah, it was nothing,” he grinned smugly then sped to Chloe, “but I will take a thank you kiss.”

Chloe paused and arched her eyebrows, “nice try, but I would need at least ten bombs.” 

“Maybe you should try a cold shower,” Oliver said, the faintest hint of irritation in his voice.

“Had enough cold water for the day, I need to get warm now Bossman,” Bart grinned and winked at Chloe. 

“We can light the fireplace,” she smirked, she was used to Bart’s flirting, but she could tell Oliver didn’t seem as neutral to it as he had in the past and that gave her butterflies.

“Cool it,” Oliver warned, his voice a little firmer this time. He gave Bart a look and moved past him. “Where’s the pizza?” 

Bart’s eyes widened and he glanced from him to Chloe and to the others in confusion, “in the kitchen.” 

Chloe shook her head a little and murmured ‘long day’ to Bart, “I’m starving.”

Oliver pulled two plates from the cabinet and set them on the table next to the pizza box, then moved to the fridge, pulling out a beer and hesitating. “Chloe? What do you want to drink?” 

“Coke, please,” she told him, following him into the kitchen. 

He grabbed a Coke from the fridge and held it out to her silently.

“Thank you,” she said as she took a step closer to him, lowering her voice, suddenly glad that the boys didn’t have super hearing, “are you okay?”

He frowned a little, but held her gaze. “Yeah, I’m fine. Why?” He cocked his head to the side.

“Nothing,” she shrugged a little and smiled slightly before heading over to the pizza box and opening it.

He watched her for a moment, then opened his beer and took a sip before setting it down on the counter and leaning against it. 

She picked up a slice and had it halfway up to her mouth then she realized he was staring at her, she set it down back on her plate and turned to him, “aren’t you going to eat?”

The answer that came to mind was far from appropriate so he forced himself to take a deep breath, then nod. “Yeah. I’m starving,” he admitted.

Her stomach was in knots all of the sudden as the look on his face made her remember her dream. She looked away from him quickly and picked up a slice, placing it on the empty plate then holding it out to him, “here you go.”

He smiled softly. “Thanks,” he told her, taking the plate from her. “It smells good.” 

“Yeah,” she agreed as she finally took a seat, “we didn’t really eat today.”

“There wasn’t really time,” he said, nodding as he sat down across from her.

“Yeah,” she agreed, opening the can and sipping on it, “at least this whole thing is over.”

Oliver paused at that, looking down with pursed lips and nodding silently before taking a bite of pizza. 

Chloe frowned at his expression, “you don’t think it is?”

“No, I think it is,” he said softly. “I think Schott’s out of the picture, at least for the time being.” 

“Yeah,” she agreed, not liking the look on his face.

He nodded and took another bite, his expression unreadable as he sat back in his chair.

She kept her eyes on him, not touching her pizza again, “maybe you should get some rest after this,” she suggested quietly.

He blinked a couple of times, glancing at her once more. “There’s something else I need to do first,” he said, his voice even quieter. 

Her eyes widened a little at that but she didn’t react otherwise, “what is that?”

“Talk to the guys,” he admitted, nodding toward the other room.

At that, her heart started to beat faster, “what about?”

Oliver pursed his lips. “The truth.” 

“Oh,” she held her breath then sat up, “you’re not... quitting, are you?” She asked finally, she’d been wanting to ask him that for a long time now, but she’d been afraid to push him. But now she needed to know, so she could talk him out of it before he made an announcement. 

“I guess it kind of depends on how they take the news,” he admitted very quietly. 

“They won’t want you out of the team, Ollie...” she sighed softly, “they’ve been worried about you too.”

“I know they have,” he said, looking at the table as he finished off his piece of pizza. 

“No,” she told him, looking down guiltily, “we had a couple of meetings about it. Before I knew anything.”

He paused at that, glancing over at her and raising his eyebrows. “You did?” 

“I called it.” She sighed, “I saw you drunk that day at your office,” she told him, finally looking up at him, “I was worried about you and I wanted to see if they knew what was going on.”

Oliver was silent for a moment, and then he exhaled slowly. “Oh.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you this sooner,” she shifted slightly, “but I didn’t know how you’d react.”

“I’m not mad,” he told her, shaking his head. 

“You’re not?” She asked, surprised as she looked over at him.

“How can I be mad at you because you were trying to help me?” 

Chloe held her breath at that and shrugged a little, “I don’t always go about it the right way.”

Oliver pursed his lips. “Maybe it’s not you that’s the problem.” 

“You’re really not upset?” She asked quietly, searching his eyes.

“I’m really not,” he assured her, reaching across the table and covering her hand with his. 

She relaxed slightly and turned her hands, wrapping her fingers around his, “thank you.”

His eyebrows furrowed a little at that. “For not being mad?” 

Nodding, she smiled slightly, “and for understanding.”

Oliver met her eyes, then glanced toward the other room. “I’d have done the same thing if it had been one of you.” 

“I know,” she squeezed his hand with both of hers, “I know you would have.”

He smiled a bit and met her eyes once more, nodding. “Hey, guys,” he called, not taking his eyes off her.

She gave his hand a soft squeeze once more before starting to pull her hands away. 

“Yeah?” Vic called, pausing the game.

“Can you all come in here for a minute?” He drew in a breath, nodding and then leaning back in his chair once more. 

“What’s going on?” AC asked, raising his eyebrows as he stepped into the kitchen a moment later. 

Chloe finally picked up her pizza and took a bite, mostly to occupy herself with something. 

“Pizza left?” Bart asked as he followed.

“We can order more,” he told Bart absently, drawing in a breath and looking around at his teammates. “There’s something I have to tell all of you. Something I haven’t exactly been...forthcoming with.” There was a hint of shame in his voice.

Vic looked at AC, then Bart, before looking at Chloe and finally focusing on Oliver, “about what’s been going on with you?” 

Chloe sipped on her soda then sat up, but remained quiet.

Oliver nodded ever-so-slightly, dropping his gaze to the floor. “There was an incident. In Star City. A few months ago. Before I came back here to Metropolis.” 

“What kind of incident?” AC asked curiously, glancing at Vic, and then at Oliver.

“Yeah, what happened?” Bart asked. “We were all worried about you, man.”

“I killed someone.” His voice was hushed, and he didn’t look at any of them, not even Chloe. “It was an accident, but that’s beside the point.” 

“What happened?” Victor asked, looking over at Chloe. 

She pursed her lips together and nodded a little at him, wanting to reach for Oliver’s hand again but stopping herself.

He drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “A woman was being assaulted in an alley. I took aim, but the perp moved. I hit her instead.” He swallowed hard, the memory rushing back to him at warp speed and he could practically smell the blood as he held her, trying to stop the blood-flow. 

“God,” AC murmured, paling a little. 

“She died in my arms.” He didn’t look up.

At that, Chloe did reach for his arm and squeezed it, her chest tight. 

“Wow...” Bart murmured, unsure of what to say. 

“So there it is,” he said quietly, finally glancing over at Chloe and trying to smile, but not managing it. 

“I’m sorry that happened, man,” Vic said, reaching and patting him on the shoulder. 

“Me too,” he admitted, exhaling slowly and glancing up at Victor uncertainly.

“Could have happened to all of us though,” AC said, “I lost a guy on my team once, back when I was freeing dolphins, didn’t make it to him on time.”

Chloe paused at that and arched her eyebrows, surprised. She’d never heard that story before.

Oliver hadn’t, either, given the startled look on his face. “Oh. I’m sorry.” 

“Thanks.” He nodded, “me too.” 

“Even with everything we do,” Chloe said quietly, looking between them, “we can’t save everyone.”

“No, we can’t,” Victor agreed just as quietly. “And this doesn’t change anything as far as I’m concerned. It was unfortunate, but AC’s right. It could have been any one of us.” 

Oliver held his breath as he glanced around at them, his gaze landing on Bart as he fell silent.

Bart shifted a little when he saw Oliver looking at him, “really sucks that happened.” He said uncomfortably. “Wish I could let you guys borrow my speed.”

He swallowed hard, nodding ever-so-slightly. “You’re freaked out.”

“Yeah?” he admitted then shrugged, “I can’t even imagine what that must’ve been like.” He glanced at AC, “for both of you guys.”

“Me either,” Victor confessed. 

Oliver nodded again, looking down at the table. 

Chloe squeezed his arm once more then took a deep breath, “at least we can still know you guys are helping so many others,” she tried, “like you did today.”

He gave her a knowing look, well aware of what she was up to.

“It’s true,” she told him, “although it might help you two if you talk about it.” She suggested.

AC nodded slightly, glancing at Oliver. “Yeah, it might,” he agreed. 

She glanced over at AC and smiled a little then nodded before looking back at Oliver.

Oliver held his breath for a moment, looking around at the guys. “This isn’t a problem for any of you?” he asked, his voice uncertain.

Bart frowned a little and shook his head, “no?” 

“Like I said, it could have happened to any of us,” Victor told him. 

“It’s one of those risks we take, man,” AC told him, raising his eyebrows. “We’re not perfect.” 

“And no one expects you to be,” Chloe added. 

“Least of all us,” Victor assured him, looking at him seriously. 

Oliver managed a faint, sad smile. “Thanks, guys,” he said quietly. 

Chloe squeezed his arm once more then pulled her hand back, going back to her pizza. 

“Did you think we wouldn’t?” Bart asked. 

“I wasn’t sure,” he admitted softly. 

“Because of your own sense of guilt,” AC said knowingly, folding his arms across his chest. 

“Hopefully it won’t happen again but if it does, we got your back,” Vic said. 

“Always,” AC agreed, nodding. 

Oliver’s chest tightened at their words and he nodded. “Likewise,” he said quietly. 

“Me too,” Bart told them. 

“And same here,” Chloe added, smiling softly. 

He nodded a little, meeting her eyes and holding her gaze, chest tightening for an entirely different reason now. 

She held his gaze and nodded slightly, then smiled a little more at him. 

Oliver smiled back faintly, knowing they had a lot they needed to talk about. But right now, he was just going to try and relax and spend time with his family.


	15. Chapter 15

Everything had been calm for the rest of the night, the boys were all staying there so Chloe decided to spend the night too, even if she and Oliver hadn’t had the chance to talk or be alone at all yet. 

It had been calm, that was, until she had gone to bed and the second she fell asleep she had had a dream very similar to the previous night, only much more realistic now that she knew what kissing him felt like. And it also made it much harder for her to go back to sleep, knowing he was just down the hall. 

After twisting and turning for about half an hour, she finally decided to get up, she would get some water, maybe grab her laptop that she luckily had with her and then see if she could shut her brain down enough to go back to bed. 

She opened the door of her room as quietly as possible, then made her way down the hallway and to the kitchen. 

Oliver stood in the kitchen, the lights dim as he drank a glass of water. He hadn’t been to sleep yet and wasn’t really even all that tired. At least not tired enough to sleep. He heard soft footsteps approaching and he turned to see Chloe there in the shadows. “Hi,” he greeted softly.

Chloe gasped and paused when she heard him, blinking a couple of times then staring at him, “hey. What are you doing here?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” he admitted, holding up his glass. 

“Oh,” she nodded, then reached for a glass, “I came here for that too.”

As she reached up to the cupboard, his shirt that she was wearing rode up a little, offering him a view of the pale skin of her back and the breath caught in his throat. “Oh,” he managed, nodding slightly, his eyes a little wider. 

“What?” She asked, turning back to him when he spoke. 

“What?” He shook his head a little. 

“You said oh,” she told him, pursing her lips together, her heart suddenly beating faster at the look on his face. 

“I did?” He took a step closer to her without really thinking about it. 

“Yeah,” she nodded, chewing on the inside of her bottom lip.

“Oh.” He gazed at her intently, reaching out and setting his glass of water down on the counter. 

“What?” She asked again, holding his gaze and taking a step closer to him. 

“What are we doing?” he murmured, searching her eyes.

“I don’t know,” she whispered, holding her breath, barely holding back from wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him again. 

He shifted closer to her, lifting his hand to her cheek and gently stroking her skin with his thumb.

At his soft touch, she couldn’t really hold herself back anymore, she lifted her hands to his arms and tiptoed, holding his gaze for a second before pressing her lips to his once more. 

A groan escaped him and he wound his arms around her, pulling her closer as he returned the kiss without hesitation. 

The second he returned the kiss, she made a quiet noise, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull herself up higher and closer to him, her body still feeling the effects of the dream that were now being multiplied by actually being this close to him. 

Oliver lifted her easily, his hands behind her knees as he set her on top of the counter so they were at an even level with one another. His heart was beating hard in his chest as his lips molded to hers, tasting the minty fresh flavor of her toothpaste and mouthwash. One hand moved up to tangle in her golden hair, gently tugging her head backwards and lowering his mouth to her jaw, kissing her there and then pressing his mouth to her throat. 

She shivered, keeping her eyes closed as she locked her legs around him, her hands going to his back as she pulled him as close to her as she could.

Without really thinking about it, his hands slid under the back of her shirt, and he groaned softly at the feel of her bare skin under his fingers. 

Chloe moaned quietly and turned her head toward his, pressing her lips to the back of his neck, kissing his skin then nibbling.

Oliver shuddered involuntarily, trailing kisses up to her ear and gently sucking her earlobe between his lips. 

“Ollie,” she shivered, leaning her head toward him, her arms and legs tightening around him. Maybe she hadn’t woken up at all.

The breathy way she said his name made him drop his head onto her shoulder to try and rein in control of himself and he pulled back a second later to gaze at her, his eyes dark, only a couple inches between them. “Hm?” 

She took a deep breath and cupped his cheek then shook her head, “nothing,” she whispered.

He leaned into her touch, closing his eyes for a moment, then opening them again to look at her. “The last thing I want to do right now is _talk_ ,” he admitted, raising his eyebrows a little. “But we probably should.” 

Chloe took a deep breath then nodded slightly, brushing her thumb over his cheek, “I guess so.”

He turned his head and kissed her thumb, resting his hands on her hips and brushing his nose against hers. 

She leaned in a little and brushed her lips lightly against his, “what do you wanna talk about?” She murmured.

Oliver kissed her softly, winding his arms around her waist and pulling her to the edge of the counter. “Maybe we should switch rooms,” he murmured, not wanting to risk any of the guys over-hearing or worse yet, interrupting. 

She instinctively locked her legs around him and nodded slightly, “I could walk,” she told him, but made no move to get down. 

“Overrated,” he told her, scooping her into his arms and backing away from the counter.

Chloe smiled softly at that and leaned in, brushing her lips against his neck.

“Keep that up and we won’t get much talking done,” he murmured, pulling her closer to him as he carried her out of the kitchen and down the hall toward his bedroom.

She pulled her head back and looked up at him as he closed the door to his room, “you are the one who wants to talk.”

“You don’t?” He raised his eyebrows a little as he turned the lock on his door so there was no possibility of someone just walking in.

“ _Want_?” She said, looking down at the lock then back at him, “No, but I suppose we should.”

A smile tugged at his mouth as he carried her over and carefully set her down on his bed. “Yeah.” 

Chloe adjusted on the bed then crossed her legs over it, but kept her eyes on him. 

He was kneeling in front of her, his hands resting on her knees as he gazed up at her. 

She ran her fingers through his hair and watched him silently for a moment before taking a deep breath, “I assume you want to talk about this?”

He smiled a little at that. “What _is_ this?” he asked softly. 

“I have no idea,” she admitted, letting out a breath, “it doesn’t have to be anything in particular?”

Oliver cocked his head to the side, watching her closely. “It kinda feels like it is, doesn’t it?” 

“Like something,” she agreed quietly. 

He nodded a little. “Something kind of intense.” 

She held her breath and nodded slightly, pursing her lips together.

He chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment, thinking. “Maybe we just...don’t have to _call_ it something.” 

“We don’t have to call it anything,” she agreed, “we can just... see what happens.”

He nodded again, holding her gaze.

“Are you okay with that?” She asked, searching his eyes. 

“I think I can handle it,” he assured her with a small smile. “Are _you_ okay with it?” 

“Yeah I think,” she paused, “it might make things less... complicated.”

Oliver considered that for a moment, searching her eyes. “So we’ll just see where things go?” 

“Yeah,” she smiled slightly, “is that okay with you?”

He smiled back, nodding a little. He shifted, lifting his head to kiss her softly on the mouth, his hand tangling in her hair once more. 

Chloe leaned down and kissed him back, uncrossing her legs and dropping them to the side of the bed. He smiled slightly against her lips, urging her backwards on the bed and rising to hover above her. 

She lifted a hand to his shirt and pulled him to her even as she scooted back on the bed, smiling against his lips too for a moment then pulling back to look at him. 

He smiled softly at her. “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do,” he told her. 

“I know,” She whispered, holding his gaze, “and the same goes for you.”

Nodding a little, he kissed her once more and laid down beside her, resting a hand lightly on her stomach and pressing a kiss to her cheek. She leaned her cheek against his lips and smiled then turned and kissed the corner of his mouth. 

“This is nice,” he murmured, lifting his hand to tuck some hair behind her ear.

“Yeah,” she agreed, shifting closer and brushing her lips against his again. 

Oliver shifted slightly, as well so he was on his side, facing her and returning the kiss. 

Chloe turned fully toward him and kissed him a little deeper as she wrapped her arm around him. 

He leaned his head against hers when the kiss ended a couple moments later, leaving him out of breath. He shut his eyes even as he pulled her closer against him. 

She brushed her nose against his and sighed softly, relaxing against him. She knew his lips had been amazing from when she kissed him that morning, but she had the feeling she was going to have a hard time not kissing him now.

* * * 

He only woke up because he could hear the guys in the other room, arguing loudly over what he assumed was another round of video games. Groaning, he buried his face against the back of Chloe’s neck, not opening his eyes as his arm tightened around her stomach a little. 

She shivered and turned slightly toward him but didn’t wake up fully, despite the noise, just frowned in her sleep.

He smiled a little, growing still once more so he didn’t wake her, even though that was what he _wanted_ to do.

But as the noises got louder and some of the guys yelled at each other, she eventually woke up, startled, both because of the noise and because she wasn’t alone on the bed.

“Easy,” he murmured, his voice soft and husky at the same time. 

She paused at that and turned her head to look at him, relaxing a moment later, “what is going on out there?” She murmured.

He raised his eyebrows a little, listening more closely. “Sounds like some kind of Wii competition extravaganza.” 

“Oh,” she let out a breath and closed her eyes again, “it’s too early.”

He smirked at that, glancing at the clock on his nightstand. “If ten is early.” 

“It’s ten?” She frowned, glancing up at him.

“It is, apparently.” He brushed his nose over hers. “But we were up kinda late.” 

Chloe nodded slightly and closed her eyes again, smiling softly as she turned toward him and wrapped an arm around him.

He smiled at her actions, lifting his hand up to her cheek and then brushing some hair behind her ear. “Morning, Gorgeous,” he whispered.

“Morning,” she whispered, opening her eyes again and looking up at him.

“Sleep okay?” He couldn’t resist kissing the corner of her mouth.

“Mhmm,” she murmured, brushing her fingers against his bare back, “you?”

He nodded slightly. “Good,” he admitted. “Better than I have in awhile.” 

Her face softened at that and she brushed her nose against his then looked up at him again, “really?”

“Yeah, really,” he said softly, searching her eyes.

“Then my mission was successful,” she said quietly, reaching up and brushing her fingers over his cheek.

Oliver smiled faintly, turning his head and kissing her palm. “You hungry?” 

“Mhmm,” she answered, leaning in and kissing his cheek.

“Why don’t I sneak out and go fix some breakfast?” He raised his eyebrows a little. 

“You really think they will let you get back in here and not wonder what is going on?” She asked, arching her eyebrows.

He paused, considering. “Are we not telling anyone about this?” he asked softly, his fingers brushing over her side.

“I don’t know,” she shifted a little, pulling back to look better at him, “maybe we should wait...”

He searched her eyes, his chest tightening a little. 

“I just don’t know if it’s a good idea to tell anyone when even we don’t really know what is going on yet,” she said, her own chest tightening at the look on his face.

“Right,” he said softly, dropping his gaze, nodding a little. 

“And,” she took a deep breath, “there is Lois too....”

“Lois and I were over before we ever started,” he told her, not looking up. 

“I know,” she admitted, “but she’s my cousin and you are her ex, I owe her an explanation before she hears from anyone else.”

Oliver drew in a breath, looking up at her, and nodding. “All right.” 

“Does keeping this between us for a while bother you that much?” She asked, searching his eyes.

“I guess it just depends on the reasons why we’re keeping it secret,” he admitted, meeting her eyes. 

“I’m not ashamed of you,” she told him sincerely, “I just don’t want us to have that kind of pressure.”

“So we’ll keep it between us until we figure out what it is, exactly?” he questioned. 

“I don’t know,” she shrugged a little, looking down, “it’s just so new, I mean, we don’t know what will happen.”

Oliver chewed the inside of his cheek. “And you don’t want to jinx it,” he said softly.

Chloe nodded, taking a deep breath, “something like that.”

“All right.” He nodded, as well. 

“Are you sure?” She asked, holding her breath, “I don’t want to hurt your feelings...”

“We can play it quiet for awhile,” he assured her. 

“And if you’re not comfortable with that anymore, you will tell me?” She asked.

“I will.” He smiled and dipped his head, kissing her mouth softly. 

Chloe kissed him back, softly for a moment then wrapped her arm around him and deepened the kiss slightly as she hugged him closer.

Oliver cupped her cheek in his hand, resting his head on the pillow once more. 

She broke the kiss a moment later and opened her eyes again to look at him.

“I’ll go start fixing breakfast. Give it a few minutes and then come out. They won’t think anything about it,” he told her quietly.

“Okay,” she nodded a little, holding her breath and searching his eyes.

He smiled softly, dipping his head and kissing her once more. “See you soon.” 

She kissed him back then nodded slightly, hugging him to her for a moment before letting go.

He winked at her as he pulled away, climbing off the bed and kneeling down to pick up his shirt off the floor, and pulling it on over his head. 

Chloe sat up, sheets over her chest even though she still had her bra on, just not the t-shirt she had borrowed from him a day ago.

He turned to look at her as he unlocked the door, giving her a lazy grin and heading out into the hallway.

Chloe watched him, taking a deep breath then laying back down once he closed the door. Now she needed a plan to be sneaky enough to get out of there without them noticing.


	16. Chapter 16

Oliver was lounging on the sofa, with Chloe wrapped in his arms in front of the TV later that night when he heard her cell phone ringing. He raised his eyebrows a little. “You’re ringing,” he teased, kissing her cheek.

She lifted her hand and looked over at the phone and sighed softly and stood up, the boys had just left about two hours ago, after they all had dinner together and she and Oliver were still tired from the previous night so they hadn’t moved much other than making their way to the couch. 

Reluctantly, she stood up and picked up her phone from her purse, holding her breath when she saw the caller ID, with a glance at Ollie she took a deep breath before answering, “hey, Clark.”

He couldn’t help but grimace a little at the other man’s name, laying his head down on the sofa and sighing softly. 

“Hey. I went by the Talon and Isis, but you weren’t there,” Clark said.

“Yeah, I’m not there,” she said, shifting uncomfortable, “I’m at the Clocktower. How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine,” he assured her. “Why are you there?” he asked, confusion in his tone.

“The boys and I came here after everything, just haven’t left yet,” she said simply.

“Oh.” He frowned. “I’ll be right over.” 

“Wait, Clark.” she said but as she heard the whooshing sound, she knew it was too late.

Oliver sat up on the couch, blinking as Clark appeared in the room a moment later. He pursed his lips and rose to his feet.

Chloe sighed softly and hung up the phone, turning to Clark and wishing she hadn’t changed back into a pair of Oliver’s shorts that kinda looked like boxers, “hey.”

Clark looked between them and paused, his eyes widening as he caught sight of what she was wearing. “What’s...uh, what’s going on?” 

“Nothing,” she said with a shrug, “we’re just hanging out, you?”

“I thought the guys were here,” he said, confused. 

“They left a couple of hours ago,” she told him, arching her eyebrows, “is something going on?”

He opened his mouth to respond, looking between them again, and then falling silent for a moment. “No.” 

“Are you sure?” She asked, trying to keep the conversation on him rather than on her, the last thing she wanted was for Oliver to have to deal with Clark and have to explain what was going on between them. 

“Yeah.” He frowned, looking over at Oliver and taking a deep breath. “I owe you a thank you. For helping me out yesterday.” 

Chloe arched her eyebrows at that, surprised as she looked from Clark to Oliver, trying to stop herself from smiling as she watched his reaction. 

Oliver blinked, startled at Clark’s words. “You’re welcome,” he answered. 

She smiled softly at that then nodded, turning to Clark, “glad you’re okay.” She told him. “And thanks for the help finding the bombs.”

“Sure.” He nodded a little, as well, glancing back at her and rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m just glad no one got hurt.” 

“Me too,” she agreed, nodding a little. “And that he’s behind bars now, probably for a very long time.”

“Hopefully,” Oliver said quietly, chewing the inside of his cheek and looking toward the window. 

Chloe nodded slightly and glanced at Oliver then back at Clark, “is Lois still staying with you?”

“No, she went back to the Talon last night.” He shrugged a little. 

“That’s good,” she nodded, “you must be happy to have her out of there,” she really didn’t know what else to say, or how to get rid of him and make this whole thing even more uncomfortable on all of them. 

“She was starting to drive me crazy,” he admitted with a small smile. “So, do you want me to give you a ride home?” he offered, raising his eyebrows. 

“Oh,” Chloe shook her head a little, “thanks, I have my car, I drove Ollie in yesterday.” She told him, smiling softly.

“We could ride back together,” he suggested. 

Oliver sighed inaudibly, looking at Chloe and raising his eyebrows a little. 

“Actually,” she glanced at Ollie then back at Clark, “I don’t know if I’m going back tonight, Ollie and I were in the middle of a movie,” she said, glancing at the TV then back at Clark. 

“Oh.” Clark looked a little startled at that and glanced at the TV. “Right. Okay.” 

“I’ll see you later?” She tried, before he could ask anymore questions.

He frowned a little, looking over at Oliver with suspicion, then turning his attention back to Chloe. “Yeah,” he said, deflated. “See you later.” He headed toward the elevator. 

“Bye,” she called, arching her eyebrows and watching him as he got into the elevator, but not moving from where she was standing, phone still in hand from when he had called.

Oliver let out a breath as the elevator descended. “Well, that was awkward.” 

“Really? I thought it went well,” she said sarcastically, dropping her phone in her purse before making her way back to the couch. 

He winced a little at her tone, and fell silent. 

“I’ll talk to him tomorrow,” she shrugged, “he’s not stupid, I’m sure he knows something is going on. I just want to avoid him coming after you and giving you a talk.”

He figured that was going to be inevitable, anyway, but he didn’t say so. He shrugged, too, pursing his lips. “Hungry?” 

“Not really,” she cocked her head a little, “are you?”

“No.” He shook his head a little. 

“Are you okay?” She asked, frowning and watching him closely.

“He hates me.” It wasn’t a question.

“Ollie,” she sighed softly, shifting closer to him, “he doesn’t _hate_ you, he just doesn’t understand you.”

“And he doesn’t trust me. Or the team.” 

“No,” she agreed, “but he doesn’t really trust me and I have known him for half of his life. It’s just how he was raised.”

Oliver shook his head a little. “But you’ve known his secret for years and you’ve never betrayed him.” 

“And I never will,” she shrugged a little, “but he didn’t tell me about his secret because he trusted me, I found out about it and then had no choice but to tell him I knew.”

“How can he go through life like that?” 

“It’s not easy on him,” she told him quietly, “and I hope that someday, he will trust someone enough to tell them, but his parents and mostly his dad, he raised him with the idea that he _couldn’t_ trust anyone outside of his family and that if he ever did, he would end up locked up in a lab somewhere.”

He sighed softly, looking down for a moment. “Yeah. I guess I can understand that, at least to some degree.” 

“If anything, he envies you,” she said, reaching for his hand. 

Oliver slid his fingers through hers. “Yeah, well that works both ways.” 

“It does?” She asked, sincerely surprised, “why?”

“A lot of reasons,” he admitted, his voice growing quiet. “If I had Clark’s abilities, I could do a lot more than I do now, for one.” 

“You already do a lot,” she told him quietly, “and yeah it would be faster and easier on you, but that doesn’t make what you do any less important.”

“Maybe not,” he said, considering her words as he gazed at her. 

“No maybe,” she said, sitting up, “Clark may have his powers, Ollie, but he is afraid of so much, of doing things and making calls that _you_ would not hesitate in making. You don’t hold back, you do what is necessary and that is the biggest difference between the two of you and what you do, it’s just as important as what his powers allow him to do.”

He held his breath at her words, his chest tightening. “Do you know how much it means to have someone who has that kind of faith in you?” His voice was very quiet. 

Chloe smiled softly at that and squeezed his hand,”I can finally say I know you well enough to have enough evidence to back that up.”

He smiled, as well, searching her eyes. “I think you’re amazing,” he told her, lifting his other hand to her cheek. 

She leaned into his touch and leaned closer, smiling softly, “I think you are too.”

He grinned and dipped his head, capturing her lips in a kiss. She smiled, relaxing a little and kissing him back firmly.

A moment later, he leaned his forehead against hers. “Should we finish the movie? Or...” 

“Well...” she smirked a little, “we’ve both seen it right? And you do own it on DVD...”

He smirked, too, raising his eyebrows. “I like the way you think.” 

“As entertaining as your home theater is,” she shifted closer, sitting up, images from her dreams and the previous night still very much alive in her head. “I’m more interested in other things right now...”

Oliver cocked his head to the side and rested his hands on her hips. “Well, what other _things_ are you interested in?” he murmured, lowering his mouth to her ear. 

Chloe shivered, pressing a hand to his chest, “you,” she said, then smirked a little, “your hands, your mouth. I haven’t really experienced much more yet.” She had no idea why she was saying those things, but she wasn’t really going to stop herself.

“Hmm.” He rubbed his hands gently up and down her sides a little. “Well, it’s kind of up to you how much you’re ready to experience.” He pressed a soft kiss to the side of her neck.

“Well,” she lifted her head for him as she slid her hand down and inside his t-shirt, brushing her fingers over his lower stomach, “I’ve been wanting to experience this for a while now.”

He drew in a breath, his eyes darkening at her light touch. “You have?” 

“For a few days,” she admitted, smiling mischievously up at him as she brushed her fingers just above the band of his pants.

“I didn’t know,” he confessed, narrowing his eyes at her. “At least not until yesterday.” 

“Now you do,” she said, brushing her nose against his and still holding his gaze.

Oliver nodded, sliding an arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him before kissing her again, his free hand winding in her hair. 

She kissed him and hesitated for a second before straddling his lap to get closer to him, the previous night had not only been amazing on her body, but on her ego too, she had never felt this confident with a guy before.

He couldn’t help but smile against her mouth when she moved, reaching for the hem of her shirt-- _his shirt_ , technically--and pulling it up and over her head, discarding it onto the floor. 

She lifted her head and pulled his own shirt off of him before smiling down as she dropped her hands to rest over his chest.

He smiled back at her, his eyes bright as he met her gaze. He brushed his nose over hers even as his hands slid around her back to the clasp of her bra. He raised his eyebrows a little, asking permission silently. 

Chloe smiled at him and nodded slightly then brushed her lips against his.

Oliver kissed her even as his fingers unhooked the clasp. He slid his hands over her bare skin there, enjoying the way she shivered against him. 

She moaned quietly against his lips, shifting on his lap so she was pressed even closer to him.

He eased her bra straps off her shoulders, but made no move to pull it the rest of the way off for now. He groaned when she situated herself right over his hardness, his hands settling at her waist as he pushed against her involuntarily. 

Instinctively, she pushed herself against him back, feeling him and wanting to feel more. She shrugged the bra straps off then moved her hands to his sides, running her nails lightly up his skin.

He inhaled sharply at her response, his hands tightening on her hips a little as he forced them to be still. “Easy, Beautiful,” he murmured, nipping at her lower lip. 

Chloe opened her eyes and smirked a little, “why?”

“Well, it’ll be an awfully short night if you don’t,” he told her.

She grinned a little and shook her head, “as long as you are not holding back because of me.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Oh, I won’t be holding back,” he informed her with a smirk.

“Deal,” she grinned then leaned closer once more and kissed him deeply, but did her best to keep her hips still. 

As they kissed, his arms wound around her waist and he shifted them so she was lying flat on her back on the sofa, planting his hands by her head to support himself. 

She wrapped her arms around his back for a moment then started running her fingers around his back before reaching for his pants and nudging them down slightly. Testing.

“We have quite a bit to do before that,” he murmured, breaking the kiss and pressing his mouth against her neck. “Just so you know.” 

“What are your plans?” She asked with a shiver, she wasn’t exactly a patient person but if the previous night was anything to go by, he was worth being patient for.

He couldn’t help but grin at her question. He knew how much she always liked knowing what was going on, and being in control as much as possible. “It’s a surprise,” he told her, pressing a kiss to her collarbone.

“Surprise?” She asked, running her nails with a little more pressure over his back, “or torture?”

“Is it really torture if I make it worth the wait?” He gritted his teeth a little, hissing softly as her nails raked over his skin. 

“Oliver, who are you talking to?” Lois’s voice interrupted as she rolled up the cage on the elevator. 

Chloe gasped and stilled, turning to look at the elevator gates instantly with wide eyes when she heard her cousin’s voice.

His eyes widened, as well and he quickly grabbed his shirt off the floor, placing it over Chloe’s exposed body. “Lois, a little busy here,” he growled.

She pulled the shirt over her chest and pressed herself against the back of the couch, wondering if she could hide behind him enough and go completely unnoticed by Lois.

Lois smirked. “Let me guess, you have company? Who is she?” 

“None of your business,” he responded, shooting her a glare. 

Chloe looked up at him and shifted a little lower so that his chest was directly in front of her face, “what is she doing here?” She whispered very quietly.

He shook his head a little, not daring to look down. “What are you doing here, Lois?” 

“Came to see you, congratulate you on the front page news and _thank you for calling me back and let me know you were alive_.” She said as she stepped into view.

“I’ve been kinda busy,” he said, having the good graces to sound apologetic. “Sorry.” 

“Your toy can hit the showers, you and I need to talk.” Lois told him, arching her eyebrows.

His eyes narrowed. “Okay, first of all, she’s not a _toy_ , and secondly, you’ll have to come back later.” 

Chloe almost groaned, she knew Lois’ tone, she would be incredibly surprised if she actually left. 

Lois cocked her head slightly, giving him a knowing look, “what are you hiding?”

He almost groaned, too, well aware that was what her tone meant. “Nothing. I’m just a little... _busy_.” 

“I’m not leaving so you might as well--” 

“Lois,” Chloe said finally, her heart beating fast and her throat tight as she lifted her head to look at her cousin.

Oliver chewed the inside of his cheek, raising his eyebrows ever-so-slightly. 

Lois’s eyes widened as she stared at her cousin. “Twist,” she said, her eyebrows nearly disappearing into her hairline.

Pursing her lips together, Chloe shifted on the couch and pulled the shirt Ollie had handed her over her head while trying to get to a less awkward position, although she wasn’t sure less awkward was an option at the moment.

Lois looked between them, still wide-eyed. “Okay. I should just...get going then.” 

Wincing, Chloe looked from Lois to Oliver and back, “Lois, wait.”

“Yeah, we should talk.” She shot Oliver a look before moving over and grabbing Chloe’s arm. “Come on.” 

Chloe nodded slightly and glanced at Oliver before letting her cousin lead her away. 

He sighed softly, watching as Lois dragged Chloe off down the hallway and into one of the guest rooms. They were on a roll, apparently.

With a deep breath, Chloe watched as Lois closed the door then arched her eyebrows a little, “I really wanted to tell you about this before you found out.”

Lois arched her eyebrows, as well. “Look, I don’t mind, and I’m not upset, but there are things about Oliver that you don’t know.” 

Chloe cocked her head a little at that, “I think I know more than you think I do, Lo.”

She paused. “You do?” 

“I know about Green Arrow,” she told her, pursing her lips together, “if that’s what you meant.”

“That’s part of it.” Lois chewed on her lower lip. “How long have you known about that?” 

“A couple of years,” she admitted, pursing her lips together. 

She stared at her cousin. “He told you that long ago?” 

“I kinda figured it out on my own,” she shrugged a little. 

Lois relaxed a little at that. “Oh.” That made more sense, at least.

“I don’t want this to be uncomfortable for you, or hurt you in any way,” Chloe told her in a whisper. 

She rolled her eyes. “Ollie and I are _long_ over. So you don’t have to worry about that. I just...does he make you happy?” 

Chloe relaxed a little at that then took a deep breath before nodding, “yeah. I mean, it’s... new so I don’t know how it will go yet.”

Lois studied her for a moment. “Yeah, I can kinda see it.” 

“What?” She asked, arching her eyebrows.

“The two of you,” she admitted, shrugging a little. “I can kinda see the two of you being together and actually making sense.” 

“You can?” Chloe asked, surprised. 

“Yeah. I mean you’re both pretty amazing people, and you're both very intense...” 

“Well, you are biased,” she said, but smiled a little.

“Maybe. But I’m also right.” Lois smirked.

“Says you.” Chloe told her, then smiled a little, “anything else I should know?”

“I think that covers it.” 

Chloe held her breath at that and nodded a little, “thanks, Lo. And thanks for being okay with it.”

“I knew Ollie and I weren’t meant for each other from the beginning,” she confessed. “But maybe the two of you will have a better shot. I mean, at least you know the big stuff going in.” She hesitated and looked down. “Most of it, anyway. Chloe, there’s something else you should probably know...” 

“About the accident with the girl?” Chloe asked, then nodded a little, “I found out about that too.”

Lois looked up, startled. “Oh.” 

“He told me he told you,” she said, shaking her head, “it wasn’t his fault.”

“I know,” Lois said quickly. “It’s just, that kind of thing tends to mess people up.” 

“I know,” Chloe held her breath, “which is why I haven’t really left his side in a week or so. I don’t want him to be alone.”

Her eyebrows furrowed a little. “He’s _that_ bad off?” 

“He was really bad,” Chloe sighed and sat down on the bed, “he was drinking a lot and acting weird, but he seems to be better now.”

“Weird how?” Lois questioned. 

“He went to a casino and he was betting everything he owned,” she said quietly, deciding to keep the rest of it to herself.

She stared at her cousin wide-eyed. “Wow.” 

“I don’t think he will go back to that but... I don’t wanna chance it.” She told her, “not yet.”

Lois was silent for a moment. “Wait, this whole...” She waved her hand toward Chloe, looking worried. “Thing between you isn’t just because you’re trying to help him, is it?” 

“No,” Chloe shook her head, sitting up, “no. We just started spending more time together because of it...”

She relaxed once more. “Good. Because you’re both better than that.” 

“Don’t worry, it’s not like that, Lo.” Chloe told her.

Lois nodded a little, moving forward and giving her a quick hug. “In that case, I’ll get on my way so you two can...get on your way.” She smirked involuntarily.

Chloe hugged her and even though she rolled her eyes, she blushed, “well, Clark just came by not long ago, so... I think we’re done trying. But I guess I should talk to him.”

“Wow, two cock-blocks in one day. That sucks.” She raised her eyebrows. “But yeah, go. _Talk._ ”

She shook her head a little and stood up, “I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

Lois grinned. “Oh yeah. Definitely.” She gave her a knowing look and headed for the door. 

Chloe took a deep breath then followed, watching her cousin as she made her way back to the living room.

“Bye, Ollie!” Lois called cheerfully as she stepped back onto the elevator. 

Oliver raised his eyebrows and glanced over his shoulder toward her. “Bye?” he responded.

She watched her go then walked over to where Oliver was, shrugging a little, “that was a lot easier than I thought.” 

“Well, that’s good, right?” He chewed the inside of his cheek. 

“Yeah,” Chloe nodded, sitting back down, “she was mostly worried that I didn’t know about you.”

He drew in a breath and let it out slowly, nodding. “That’s good.” 

“Yeah,” she shrugged a little and smiled at him, “I know, She was very supportive.”

Oliver relaxed. He had a feeling that was a better reaction than they were going to eventually end up getting from Clark. 

“Are you okay?” She asked quietly. 

“Yeah. Relieved,” he admitted. 

Chloe nodded slightly then took a deep breath, “can I ask you something?”

“Shoot,” he said, nodding a little.

She hesitated then turned on the couch so she was fully facing him and crossed her legs over it, holding her hands together and resting them on her lap, “you were... going down a pretty self-destructive path a few days ago and, I know there was a lot going on since then and I know I haven’t really given you much space but I haven’t really checked in with you either, I guess I’m just wondering how you’re doing.”

He paused at that, raising his eyebrows for a moment and gazing at her. “I guess I’m doing okay,” he told her, chewing the inside of his cheek. “I don’t uh--I don’t feel reckless like I did.” His voice grew more quiet, and he looked down.

Holding her breath, she nodded. That was good to hear but she couldn’t just take his word for it, “but everything you’ve been through isn’t just gonna go away after a few days.”

“No, I suppose it isn’t,” he agreed quietly. “I’ve still been having nightmares.” 

“You have?” She asked, her eyes widening slightly, she didn’t know he’d been having them in the first place.

He nodded, but didn’t look up at her. “Last night was the first time I hadn’t.” 

Her chest tightened at that, “you think that not being alone helped?”

Oliver drew in a breath, nodding again. “Yeah, I do. But I’m not trying to guilt you to get you to stay again if you don’t _want_ to.” 

“I can’t just move in,” she said quietly, “but I definitely wasn’t planning on leaving if you want me to stay.”

He smiled a little at that. “I don’t think I’ll ever protest you staying over.” 

“I’m sure we will both need space, eventually,” she cocked her head to look at him, “but I really like spending time with you and on top of that, I really am grateful you are willing to let me help you through this.”

“I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but you’re a really difficult person to say no to,” he informed her. 

“Most people don’t seem to have a problem with it,” she smiled softly.

“Maybe it’s just me,” he said with a small smile.

“That works for me,” she said quietly, then shifted closer and cupped his face in her hand, “how are you feeling? _Really_.”

“Better,” he said honestly. “Not completely, but, better.” He leaned into her touch.

Brushing her thumb over his skin, she nodded, “anything you need, Ollie. All you have to do is tell me.”

He turned his head and kissed her palm, nodding. “I will. If I figure it out anyway.” 

“Thank you,” she told him, “and if you don’t, I will try to come up with things too.”

Oliver smiled a little. “Thank you,” he said softly.

Chloe watched him for a moment then nodded before leaning in and kissing him softly, “are you ready for bed?”

“I think so. Are you?” He searched her eyes.

“Yeah,” she nodded, “we didn’t really get a lot of rest last night.”

A grin tugged at his mouth involuntarily. “No, we didn’t.” 

“Maybe we should sleep tonight,” she smiled, standing up and holding her hand out to him, “especially if you haven’t been getting a lot of rest.”

“ _All_ night?” He frowned a little even as he took her hand and rose to his feet.

“Well... it’s early, kind of? Until you’ve rested enough?” She grinned a little.

Oliver squeezed her hand, nodding. “I think I can live with that.”


	17. Chapter 17

“You ready for this?” Chloe asked as they pulled up to the Kent farm, Ollie had insisted on driving this time, and they had made it to Smallville in record time, even though it was Friday and traffic was busier than usual.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” he answered with a wry tone, glancing at her sideways as he parked the SUV. “Are you?” 

“Yeah,” she smiled, leaning in and kissing his cheek before opening her door, “if anything, I think you and I will be entertained.”

He smirked at that, catching her arm lightly to stop her from exiting the vehicle, leaning over and kissing her softly on the mouth. “Oh, definitely.” 

Chloe looked up at him mischievously then kissed him once more before pulling back and getting out of the car.

“Teasing me about my ‘I survived dinner’ reward?” he joked as he climbed out, as well.

“Hm, if you wanna call it that,” she smiled and met him in front of the car, reaching for his hand.

“What are you calling it?” He slid his fingers through hers and squeezed her hand.

“Fun?” She asked, “I mean, it’s pretty unavoidable...” she told him, trying to be innocent.

Oliver narrowed his eyes at her. “Watch yourself, Woman,” he warned her, tugging her closer to him and wrapping his arm around her waist.

“Or what?” She grinned, wrapping an arm around him too. “Green Arrow will kidnap me?”

“Well, you’d definitely enjoy _that_.” He smirked, reaching out and ringing the doorbell.

“Glad you can take the hint,” she grinned then reached for the door a moment later and opened it regardless of him ringing the bell, “we’re here!”

“Consider yourself a soon-to-be abduction victim,” he murmured against her ear before following her inside.

Her face brightened and she looked over at him, arching her eyebrows, “good to know.” She whispered back before making her way to the kitchen.

He grinned as he glanced around, looking for Lois or Clark. 

“Lois!” Clark said, turning down the temperature for the oven, “it’s going to burn if you turn it up like that.”

Chloe smirked and squeezed Ollie’s hand, “didn’t you know that burning food is our specialty, Clark?”

“I get more aware every time Lois tries to cook,” he responded wryly, turning to look at them.

“You seem to be missing the point,” Chloe told him, looking over at her cousin.

Oliver smirked faintly at that, glancing at her and giving her a look, but remaining silent. 

“She just wants to make sure _you_ are the one always cooking.” Chloe told him, grinning softly. 

“I don’t want to eat burnt food, so I always cook anyway,” Clark said.

“See, now I know we’ve found the right guys for us, Cuz. They happily cook for us,” Lois said with a grin, winking at her cousin.

“Absolutely no arguments there,” she grinned at Lois, “it’s all we require.” 

“Right.” Clark grinned a little.

“We’re definitely not high maintenance types,” Lois smirked.

“Absolutely not,” Chloe agreed, glancing up at Ollie. “Although you are awfully quiet.”

“I’m attempting not to be high maintenance,” he joked. Truthfully, he figured keeping quiet as much as possible would be the best way to get through dinner without any kind of conflict with Clark.

Clark glanced over at him and nodded a little. 

“What are we having?” Chloe asked, “assuming Lo didn’t burn it.”

“Homemade chicken and noodles, mashed potatoes, and rolls. And no, I didn’t burn it.” Lois raised her eyebrows.

“Sounds great,” Chloe told her, grinning, “thanks for cooking, Clark.” 

“No problem,” he shrugged, “should be almost ready.”

“Oh, and there’s pie for dessert.” Lois beamed, moving over and linking her arms with Chloe. “Help me set the table?” 

“Of course,” she squeezed Ollie’s hand then let go of it, smiling at him before walking with her cousin to the dining room.

He drew in a breath, watching the two of them head away before glancing at Clark and offering him a small, uncomfortable smile.

Clark watched the two then smiled a little at Oliver, shrugging and turning back to the stove.

“Smells good.” 

“Thanks,” he told him, opening the oven and pulling out the rolls with his bare hand.

“Show-off,” Oliver teased good-naturedly, raising his eyebrows.

Clark frowned, looking at him, “what?” He paused then smiled a little, “just habit.”

Nodding, he patted Clark’s shoulder lightly. “Need me to do anything?” 

“Not really, it’s all pretty much done,” Clark said, sliding the pie into the oven, “except for that.”

“Oh. Okay.” He pursed his lips, leaning against the counter.

“How are things with the others?” Clark asked.

“Fine,” he said with a small smile. “They’re doing good. You should come hang out with us sometime.” 

“Really?” Clark asked, surprised as he glanced over at Oliver.

“Yeah, really.” He nodded. 

“Thanks,” he said then paused, “I know I wasn’t very... nice to you.”

Oliver paused. “You mean telling me to hit the road as soon as I came to Metropolis wasn’t nice?” His voice was light, teasing.

Clark winced and nodded slightly. “Yeah.”

“You were trying to look out for Lois and Chloe.” 

“I thought you were coming back for Lois,” he admitted very quietly.

Oliver paused, blinking. “ _Oh._ I didn’t really think about it that way.” 

He shrugged a little, “I didn’t really know what was going on.”

“With you or with me?” he asked curiously.

“With you and with her, I guess?” He told him, shrugging a little. “I had no idea you were interested in Chloe.”

“I didn’t realize I was for awhile,” he confessed with a small smile as he glanced toward the dining room. 

“What happens when you leave?” He asked.

“I’m not planning to leave anytime soon,” Oliver told him, crossing his arms over his chest. “But uh--I’m kinda hoping when that time comes, she’ll come with me.” 

“You mean move to Star City with you?” His eyes widened.

Oliver pursed his lips, nodding a little. “Yeah.” 

“I don’t think she’d want that.” He said. 

He glanced at Clark, raising his eyebrows. “You might be surprised.” He’d certainly been surprised to learn the two of them had been dating in the first place.

“Surprised by what?” Chloe asked as she and Lois walked back into the kitchen.

Oliver smiled softly at her. “Me. You. Life in general.” He shrugged a little. 

Lois raised her eyebrows a little and glanced between them. “Are you two about to be mushy? Because dinner’s almost ready.” 

“Oh.” Chloe arched her eyebrows, glancing at Clark then smirking at Lois as she stepped closer to Ollie and wrapped her arms around him, “I don’t know the meaning for the word.”

He couldn’t help but grin at her and then brushed his nose over hers just for fun. 

“Ugh.” Lois rolled her eyes. “Get a room, horndogs.” 

Chloe kissed him softly and winked up at him, then turned to her cousin, smirking mischievously, “do you really wanna talk about PDA, Lois? Because I have some stories about you...”

“Time for dinner,” Lois announced quickly, raising her eyebrows. “I’m starving! Who’s hungry?” 

Oliver smirked at her reaction and kissed Chloe’s cheek before turning her toward the dining room once more. “I’ll second that.” 

Clark frowned a little then shook his head, picking up a pot, “I thought I was cooking,” he said as he followed Lois into the dining room. 

Chloe tugged on Ollie’s hand, “everything okay?” She whispered quietly, slowing him down.

He glanced down and met her eyes, nodding a little. “Yeah, everything’s fine.” 

“Okay,” she nodded and squeezed his hand, “whatever he said, don’t listen to him, unless it was good.” She said with a smile.

He smiled back, rubbing his thumb lightly over the back of her hand. “I kind of adore you,” he whispered.

“It works both ways,” she said quietly, “you are amazing.”

Oliver lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles lightly, his eyes bright. 

“Come on,” she whispered, leaning closer, “let's go eat so we can get out of here.”

“And onto more interesting things.” He winked at her.

“It’s like you can read my mind.” She grinned, squeezing his hand and pulling him toward the dining room.

Oliver grinned, following her without hesitation. He had a feeling he’d spend a lot of time doing just that.


End file.
